Primal Scent
by Intrepidwarriors
Summary: Vinnie and Charlie have tied the knot with liberal help from Vegas, and alcohol. Now they have to find a way to break the news to the rest of the biker mice team.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Tacky Love Message Dedication Alert.**

Dedicated to Steakman. You came into my life as a friend, and decided to stay in my heart. Thanks for being the prince of my dreams. I can only hope I'll be worthy enough to be the princess of yours!

**PRIMAL SCENT BY INTREPID WARRIORS**

SEQUEL TO THRILLS & SPILLS & VIVA LA VINNIE! © INTREPID WARRIORS

BMFM is copyright to their owners and they are the ones who get all the money from it, not me. Not a cent! 

ACDC'S 'You Shook Me All Night Long' is copyright to its owners

KIDDIES, BE WARNED. THIS FANFIC HAS SOME ADULT BEHAVIOUR AND ADULT JOKES.

_**PLANET PLUTARK, LORD CAMEMBERT'S OFFICE.**_

"But Lord Camembert, you can't take my beloved tower!" Limburger protested to the fat Plutarkian leader.

"I can, I am and that's all there is to it. You've let me down for the last time Limburger! Your constant failure to bring Chicago to its knees has made us the laughing stock of the entire planet. You're finished, done for, had it, a has been!"

"But Lord Camembert, its all the biker mices' fault! If it wasn't for those meddling mice…."

"QUIET!" roared Camembert. "No more excuses Limburger. You've let me down for the last time. From now on, I'm installing someone I _know_ can get the job done!"

"Wh….Who?" Limburger asked, his voice quavering as the gravity of his situation finally started to sink in.

In answer, Camembert pushed a button on his desk and the doors to his office opened.

"Oh no! Not her!" protested Limburger in horror. "Anyone but her!"

"Limburger, meet your new boss" cooed Camembert, chuckling as he grinned at the new arrival.


	2. Chapter 2

_**PLANET EARTH, LAS VEGAS, CIRCUS CIRCUS HOTEL**_

…_And_, added the mischievous side of Charley, _after all, it takes two to tango…and two to say 'I do!_'…

Charlie's last thought dissolved away under the gentle, but thorough onslaught of Vinnie's lips. Her hands slipped from his ears and circled round his neck, pulling him tighter against her as she gave herself up to the surprisingly talented lover in her arms.

Vinnie's hands danced across her body in a bewildering rhythm that made no sense to her mind, but thrilled her body no end. She groaned in regret when he released her lips, but his seductive smile promised she wouldn't do so for long.

Vinnie found other occupation for his mouth, using it to show his appreciation for other parts of the beautiful mechanic. He nibbled at her earlobe and grinned wickedly when she sucked in her breath, desire causing her to grip his shoulders hard enough to leave fingermarks, even through his thick fur.

Next on his conquest list was her neck. His lips wandered down to the sensitive jaw line, brushing ever so lightly against the skin, his breath tickling her and causing goosebumps to rise. He watched for a moment fascinated, before continuing on his way south, toward her chest. Another spot chosen, another onslaught and Charlie was biting her lip against crying out as she sucked in shallow breaths, trying not to scream in ecstasy.

Despite Vinnie's best efforts, not all of Charlie had fallen under the spell of her new husband, who was certainly enjoying himself as he teased and cajoled responses out of her. The cheeky part of her was very much alive and kicking and it decided a little revenge was in order, one that would leave him panting as heavily as he was forcing her to do. She removed her hands from round his shoulders and ran them round the width of his back, down the sides and gently across his chest. Vinnie paused and shivered briefly at the ticklish sensations she was creating but soon returned to his previous ministrations, undeterred despite the brief interruption.

Cheeky Charlie grinned to herself and moved her hands to either side of his chest, slipping her fingers deeper into his fur as she searched for what she was looking for. Finding the male buds, she ran one finger round the outer rim of Vinnie's nipples, slowing working her way inward. Vinnie's body jerked in surprise and he pulled back to stare in shock at the audacity of his wife. Her eyes half-lidded, she grinned in challenge, running her tongue round her lips in unspoken seduction.

Not one to back down, Vinnie took a deep breath before grinning back at her. Accepting her challenge, he swiftly moved up and over her as he bent his head and seized her lips in a deep kiss. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her body against his own. He started to move his hips against her, in tandem with the motion of his mouth.

Charlie's eyes widened but soon closed as she fought to regain some control, but Vinnie wasn't about to let her have the upper hand again. His mouth devoured hers as his hands moved in a circular pattern on both sides of her waist. Charlie was held immobile, his weight pinning her against the bed as he continued moving his hands up and down her torso.

Close to being driven crazy, Charlie made one last ditch effort to win and used her hands to reach the only part on Vinnie she could. Her fingers returned to teasing the erect nipples on his chest. Expecting such a tactic, Vinnie retaliated with a sneaky trick of his own that made her loose control, her hands jerking downward to try and stop the sensation he was causing, letting out a hoarse cry of unbridled passion.

Vinnie's howl joined hers, echoing round the room. Without warning, he rolled from on top of her and onto his side.

"Van Wham! Don't you dare do this to me!" Charlie yelled, thumping the mattress in frustration as she cursed her lover for leaving her so aroused, and yet unfulfilled.

Vinnie's only response was pathetic 'puppy's tail got stepped on' noises. Sighing, she sat up and brushed the tangled web of hair out of her face. She glared down at Vinnie and was about to give him a tongue-lashing about bedroom etiquette, until she noticed the thin trickle of blood seeping out from where his hands covered his chest.

A golden light twinkled on her finger but it was on the wrong hand. In dawning horror, she looked closer at the new ring on her right hand, and then at Vinnie's chest. She reached down and tried to move his hands so she could see but he only whimpered even more and turned his back, refusing to let her near the sore spot.

Vinnie's body had gone from red-hot ardour to red-hot _pain_ when Charlie's hand had accidentally ripped the ring out of his nipple. He could only rock from side to side in agony as the nipple throbbed and ached.

Racing into the bathroom, Charlie quickly grabbed wads of toilet paper and ran them under the tap. She raced back into the bedroom and thrust them at Vinnie. He edged away from her, suddenly very scared of the vixen he had tried to bed.

"Hold still Vinnie!" she scolded as she climbed onto the bed and straddled him to stop him moving. She yanked his hands away from the nipple and placed the wet paper against the cut, trying to stem the blood flow.

Vinnie let out another yelp as the cold water shocked his skin but bit down on his lip to stop any further vocal reaction. The cold helped to ease the throbbing somewhat as Charlie brushed her fingers against his cheek, crooning apologies over and over again.

When the blood flow appeared to ease, Charlie looked round for the bedroom phone. Holding the handset was a fat dwarf angel with stumpy wings. She moved off Vinnie, careful to not dislodge the paper and seized the handset out of the fat cherub's custody.

"_Good Morning, Circus Circus Reception" _answered the hotel reception.

"Hi, Charlene Davidson speaking…uh, sorry, I think it may even be under Charlene Van Wham, I can't remember what we registered under."

There was a brief pause while the receptionist checked her guests' room data.

"_For your own reference ma'am, your room is registered under Mr and Mrs Davidson-Van Wham" _the receptionist informed her.

"Really? That's very enlightened of you, Vinnie" Charlie said offhandedly to her husband.. He only shook his head in disbelief, his eyes pleading with her to get to the point and get him some help, NOW!

"There's been a little accident, my husband will need medical treatment" Charlie said to the receptionist.

'_What sort of accident Mrs Davidson-Van Wham?" _the receptionist asked matter-of-factly.

Charlie paused, unsure how she was supposed to describe an amorous induced nipple ring attack to someone over the phone. Deciding a half-truth would have to serve, she replied "He's got a small cut to the chest but it's still bleeding. I can't go into too many details, he's rather embarrassed about the whole thing."

True to the creed of her breed all over the world, the hotel receptionist understood a plea for confidentiality when she heard one. _"I'll have Doctor Sung come to your room straight away, Mrs Davidson-Van Wham" _she replied reassuringly.

"Thank you!" Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, relieved at not having to go into any finer details of what exactly had transpired.

She placed the phone back on the hook and sat down next to Vinnie. She stroked his forehead, smoothing the frown lines from his forehead.

"They're sending up a doctor" she said, before leaning down to brush his lips with a light kiss.

Despite the pain from one side of his chest, Vinnie's body suddenly had something else to think about and he automatically opened his mouth under Charlie's. Pleased he wasn't in so much pain anymore, she kissed him more deeply. Things looked to get hot and heavy again except for two reasons. One, Vinnie's self-preservation had kicked in and he was loathe to risk any more damage at Charlie's hand just yet and two, a knock on the door signalled the arrival of the doctor.

Muttering under her breath, Charlie released Vincent's mouth and climbed off the bed to answer the door. She opened the door to find a man of Japanese heritage standing in front of her with a medical kit in one hand, and a set of credentials in the other.

"Hello Mrs Davidson-Van Wham, I am Doctor Sung. Hotel reception informed me your husband needs his chest looked at. May I come in?" he asked politely, in a British accent James Bond would envy.

Taken aback by his accent as compared to his ethnic heritage, Charlie hesitated before stepping back and inviting the doctor in.

"It's just plain Charlie, Doctor Sung" she said, leading the way over to where Vinnie lay.

"And your….husband's name?" Doctor Sung said, taking in the sight of the large mouse with antennas, clutching red and white cushions of toilet paper to his chest. Doctor Sung never missed a beat and remained perfectly composed, acting as if he were dealing with any normal human pairing.

"Vincent" Vinnie said through gritted teeth as a fresh stab of pain assaulted him.

"Ok Vincent, I need to see where the wound is please" Doctor Sung said, gently easing Vinnie's hands away. Doctor Sung pulled the toilet paper off the wounded nipple and assessed the damaged as best he could.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to need get a clearer picture of the damage if I am to treat if properly" he said.

"Meaning?" Charlie asked, as confused as Vinnie.

"I'll need to shave round the nipple area" Doctor Sung replied.

Vinnie's eyes widened and he quickly scuttled back against the bedroom headboard, looking for an escape route.

"Vinnie!" Charlie growled, fed up with the cowardly display from the usually egotistical mouse.

Vinnie hissed something in Martian at her. Her keen ears recognised it as a word he had used previously when he was really annoyed and sixth sense told her it wouldn't be pretty translated into English.

Doctor Sung stood patiently and waited as his patient's spouse vocally told her beloved that he was going to do whatever the doctor needed him to do, or there would be certain _wifely duties_ she would not be performing in future.

Vinnie retorted with a comment about that probably being for the best since he couldn't promise she wouldn't attack _other _areas on his body that were essential to performing certain _husbandly duties_.

This lead to a glaring match which neither looked set to win, until Charlie mentioned telling Vincent's brethren about the whole incident, in technicolour detail. Vinnie's eyes glowed hot pink with anger at that cheap shot but he finally ceded to her demands. He knew he couldn't face the humiliation of his bros finding out.

He sat down on the bed and nodded resignedly to the doctor, who opened his kit and selected an unused razor. Shaving a small circumference round Vinnie's right nipple, Doctor Sung was able to work out how much damage had been done by the lovers tryst.

"It is not too bad, a couple of stitches and it will heal nicely. The stitches will dissolve by themselves" Doctor Sung explained, turning to his kit again and pulling out the required tools.

Doctor Sung inserted a general aesthetic round the nipple area before putting in the necessary amount of stitches. Lastly, he placed a padded cover over the top of the nipple and secured it with surgical tape.

"This will give you some extra protection should you wish to resume any of your _marriage duties_!" added the Doctor with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Fat chance I'm going to risk that again!" Vinnie said, glaring at his wife. She merely raised an eyebrow and snorted in disbelief.

Undeterred, the doctor ploughed on. He pulled out a small bottle of pills. "These are pain killers, they will help with the throbbing but may make you a little drowsy. Take one now and whenever it gets painful, but do not exceed the dosage on the bottle."

Vinnie took the bottle out Sung's hand and made his way to the bathroom, filled a glass with water and downed a pill while Charlie thanked the Doctor, who assured her his fee would be added to their room bill, which was still being covered by the Thunder Down Under Team.

Vinnie refilled his glass with water and returned to his side of the bed, placing the bottle of pills next to the glass on the bedside cabinet. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for the pain to ease. Charlie yawned and decided a nap was in order before they had to pack and meet their plane. She shut the curtains to darken the room, and climbed onto the bed, snuggling against her pillow. Vinnie moved slightly away from her, his body tensed for flight but he relaxed when he realised she was falling asleep.

A couple of hours passed and Charlie slept soundly on. Vinnie on the other hand, couldn't get comfortable. The pill had eased the pain but it was returning with a vengeance as the pain killer started to wear off. Fed up, he opened the bottle and despite the doctor's warning, quickly downed four of the small tablets.

The pain ceased completely, but the powerful combination of all four foreign pills in his body caused a chemical reaction, resulting in several side-effects. He felt drowsy as Doctor Sung said might happen but he also felt hot, really hot and his body began to sweat profusely. He thought briefly about getting up to have a shower, but the lethargic languor rolling over his body convinced him otherwise and he lay on his back, not quite asleep, not quite awake.

While he drifted, his normally musky male odour became intensified as he was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, but unknown to Vinnie, the pheromones in his body were also activated by the chemical reaction and eased through his body's pores to join the salty coating covering his body.

The result tickled Charlie's nose and she moved closer in her sleep, seeking the source of the delicious smell. Still half asleep, she breathed in deeply and moved closer to Vinnie, nuzzling his neck.

Vinnie chuckled at the ticklish sensation and moved to brush the instigator away. His hand was seized between two smaller ones and one of his fingers was drawn into a moisture filled cavity. A sucking sensation caused his befuddled brain to realise that this was much too realistic for a dream. His eyes blinked open and focused on a semi drowsy Charlie, who was quite happily using his finger as a lollipop.

"Uh, Charlie, what are you doing?" he asked, nervously withdrawing the finger and raising his hands above his head, out of her reach.

Charlie didn't reply, only followed the finger upwards. When he wouldn't let her have it back, she growled in anger and found something else to take her frustrations out on. She began purring as she nipped at his neck and laughed breathlessly at Vinnie's panicked noises.

"Charlie! No, I mean it! Let go! Charlie!" Vinnie protested and tried to fend his wife off.

Unfortunately for Vinnie, the chemical reaction in his body also stirred a chemical reaction in Charlie, a kind never seen or heard of before. The new _primal scent_ (as it would come to be called) aroused an intensified lust in Charlie that was coupled with increased adrenalin levels. The harder Vinnie fought to get away, the hotter he got, the more he sweated and the more pungent his aroma, doubling the affect on Charlie.

Eventually, exhausted and dripping, Vinnie could only surrender and give his wife what she demanded. She wouldn't let him rest until she was fully satisfied with his efforts and finally allowed him to fall into a deep sleep, spent and exhausted, aching all over. Charlie rested against him, her arm and leg slung possessively across his body. She curled tighter round her mate, a triumphant grin settled in place, like a cat that had definitely caught her mouse!


	3. Chapter 3

Being the most rested out of the two of them, Charlie woke first, uncurling from around Vinnie and stretching. She glanced at the clock display and was surprised to find it was now three in the afternoon. A warning bell went off in her head and she tried to puzzle over why she should be alarmed at this news. The relevant information kindly made an appearance and filled in the blanks.

"The plane! Vinnie, the plane!" Charlie cried, scrambling off the bed and quickly shoving clothing into her suitcase, heedless of whether it was hers, or Vinnie's.

"You've missed it, Tattoo" a droll voice said from the corner of the dark room.

Charlie froze and turned toward the source of the voice. A figure leant against the door frame, pearly white teeth set in a cocky grin, eyes glancing approvingly over the mechanic's frame.

"How you doing gorgeous lady?" the unannounced visitor asked, walking towards her.

Charlie was dimly aware she was still in a state of undress but she didn't spare another thought for it as she launched herself at the visitor. Seizing the mouse in a hug, she laughed with joy at being reunited with her Martian friend.

"Carbine, how did you get in here? More to the point, how did you find us?" Charlie asked, motioning at a chair to the Martian and slipping on a pair of briefs and tank-top.

The Martian raised an eyebrow in surprise. "As to how did I find you, it wasn't hard considering you left your whole itinerary at the garage in case the boys got back early. As to how I got into your room, I learnt to bypass locks early on when I when I realised something about male freedom fighters."

"What's that?" Charlie prompted, curious to know.

"They are extremely sexist! Not every single woman is cut out to be a wrench jockey, and I for one was not going to stay home and darn socks while the boys were out having all the fun!"

Charlie grinned at the image of the feisty General, needle poised, ready to attack a misbehaving item of clothing.

"When did you get back?" Charlie asked, moving onto the next question she had.

"Yesterday evening. Throttle and Modo wanted to surprise you both and pick you up from the airport but when you didn't show, they went into major panic mode and went to make Swiss cheese out of Limburger's building, convinced he had captured you and was forcing you to smell his fishy armpits as some sort of sadistic torture." The visitor's voice was amused as it continued. "I tried telling them you probably just decided to stay an extra day, but they were too busy hollering 'rock n ride' to listen. So while they went off to frighten ole fish guts, I decided to do the _logical_ thing and come looking for you here."

"Limburger is back?" Charlie asked in dismay.

Carbine smiled regretfully. "Not yet, but our Intel say says he will be soon.

Vinnie mumbled something in his sleep and began sucking his thumb. Their visitor cocked an eyebrow in the sleeping beauty's direction and snorted.

"Universe's Greatest Lover, my ass!" the Carbine mocked. At Charlie's questioning look, she merely shrugged. "That's what he crowned himself at college, claimed he could 'go the distance' all night."

Charlie rolled her eyes. "That sounds like our Vinnie."

"And talking about Vinnie, do you want to explain how this all happened? I get the general picture, but I want to know all the dirt."

"Namely?" Charlie asked, not sure she was ready to recount the weekend's embarrassing series of events.

"He any good?" Carbine asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Alright, who are you and what did you do with the real Carbine!" Charlie demanded teasingly, laughing at the General's uncharacteristic audaciousness.

Carbine grinned. "I'm off duty sweetie, I save the hard core bitch routine for the grunts. Till I slip back into that uniform, you'll only be getting the real Carbine."

"I like what I've seen so far!" Charlie replied, enjoying this unseen, more relaxed side of her friend.

"Glad to hear it" Carbine said, giving her a saucy wink that caused Charlie to choke with laughter.

Charlie turned serious all of a sudden, looking pleading at the general. "Carbine, would you mind not mentioning this to Throttle and Modo? I know it's a lot to ask but I don't know how I'm going to broach the subject just yet, and I need some time to think."

Carbine smiled reassuringly at her. "My lips are sealed sweety. And that reminds me, we'd better get a move on. Got to get you back before my beloved and brother-in-law-to-be pull Chi-town apart looking for you."

"Brother-in-law-to-be? You mean…"

"Yep, got engaged on Mars. I wasn't going to let him leave Mars without some kind of promise that he'd be back, so I set an ultimatum."

"I'm so happy for you, Carbine!" Charlie exclaimed, before frowning. "But I can't believe you got engaged without us around!" she protested.

"Sorry honey, spur of the moment thing. But I could say the same thing about you!" Carbine reminded her.

Charlie turned beet red and mumbled something about not being able to hold her liquor like she used to.

Carbine laughed long and loud, startling the slumbering mouse awake. He sat up and called Charlie's name, blinking rapidly as he focused on Carbine.

"Who you?" he asked incoherently.

"Rise and shine Cadet!" Carbine ordered in a gruff voice.

Vinnie's body reacted before his brain did and he was already halfway out of bed before Charlie was across the bed and wrestling him back down again.

"CAN'T WE JUST CUDDLE!" he shrieked in morbid fear.

"Carbine's here and you're still naked!" Charlie hissed at him.

Carbine bowled over backwards in the chair, in absolute hysterics. Vinnie scowled in her direction but took the clothes offered by Charlie. He continued to scowl as he demanded to know why the General was in their room.

"In short, the bros are back, looking for us and we've missed our flight so Carbine is giving us a lift back" Charlie explained as she finished putting their luggage together, periodically throwing items at Vinnie to pack. Carbine helped where she could, resisting the opportunity to tease Vinnie for Charlie's sake.

When they had checked the room for any miscellaneous items, they joined Carbine in the lift and headed out of the hotel foyer and to the ship. Charlie expected to have to hail a taxi, thinking Carbine would have parked it well out of sight but got the shock of her life to find the ship parked squarely in front of the hotel.

"Stoker couldn't find any scoreboards around" Carbine quipped at Charlie's flabbergasted expression. "Hey relax, people thought it was some sort of stunt for the hotel."

She ushered them inside the ship, showed them where they could sit and settled herself in the pilot's chair. Activating the com, she buzzed Stoker until she got a reply. "Stoke, I've got them. Meet you on board."

The com ended and they waited patiently, the women making idle chit-chat and catching up, while Vinnie spent the time glaring suspiciously at the pain killer bottle. Shrugging, he asked Carbine if he could use the ship's kitchenette. He found a root beer sitting in the cooler and opened it, popping four more of the tablets into his mouth before taking a swig of the soda.

Vinnie returned to his seat and felt the now recognizable lethargy wash through his body. In a few minutes he was once again sweating profusely, and a strong musky odour filled the ship's bridge.

Charlie paused in her conversation with Carbine and sniffed the air.

"Can you smell that?" she asked Carbine, taking another sniff.

Carbine sniffed the air and a strong tang of pure masculinity assaulted her nose.

Both women turned toward Vinnie.

Noticing he was the centre of their attention, his brow crinkled. "What?" he asked in bewilderment.

The women didn't respond verbally, but they unbuckled themselves in haste and their faces took on a predatory look as they started to stalk Vinnie. They didn't fight each other, but worked as a team, much as a family of lionesses will in hunting prey.

Vinnie, realising he was in big trouble, bolted from his chair, ran into one of the ship's passenger cabins and locked the door. He looked anxiously round for something to defend himself with. Spotting the room's com, he dialled Stoker's number, begging him to answer.

"Almost there Carbs!" a cheerful voice greeted him.

"Stoker!" a relieved Vinnie cried.

"Punk?" Stoker asked, surprised to hear the panicked young male on the other end of the com. "What's wrong? The ladies turn you down again?" he teased.

"I wish! Coach, they're trying to sexually harass me! Hurry, they need to be sedated or something!"

There was silence on the other end before Stoker's voice came back on, sounding lethal. "Punk, you'd better be serious about this. I won't have you saying things like that about Charlene or Carbine!"

"Coach, believe me, I wish I was joking!" Vinnie said, nearly in tears from trying to convince Stoker he wasn't playing some horrible prank. Outside the cabin, loud wrenchings could be heard, the sound of metal being pulled from metal. Feral growls drifted through the door as a crack appeared, and then widened.

A groan of metal and a loud snap echoed over the com, followed by male screams. Stoker accelerated from a fast walk to a flat out run, pulling his laser from its holster.

Charlie was first through the door, Carbine hovering back as if sensing Charlie's original right of claim. Vinnie climbed onto the bunk of the cabin to put distance between himself and the two women but Charlie climbed up onto the bunk and moved toward the cornered mouse, grinning the whole time.

"Come play with us Vinnie!" she cooed, moving slowly toward him.

Carbine moved to the other side and they sandwiched Vinnie in the middle of the bunk. Unspoken signals passed between the two females and they moved simultaneously, launching themselves from parallel projections at Vinnie.

A blast from the doorway hit Carbine first, a second soon following in Charlie's direction. They crumpled on top of Vinnie and he fell on top of the bunk under their combined weight.

"Vincent Van Wham, Baddest Mammajammer in the Universe, scared witless by two petite women!" Stoker said as he pulled Carbine off Vinnie, leaving him to deal with Charlie.

"One was bad enough old timer, I hardly want to tackle two of them!" Vinnie said, laying his wife on top of the bunk. He wiped the sweat off his brow and thanked his old mentor for saving his manhood.

"No sweat punk, I'll protect you from all the scary women out there, especially those evil little girl scouts."

"Ha-ha...Ass!" Vinnie muttered, strapping Charlie into the bunk. Stoker saw to Carbine and the two men returned to the bridge in silence. Stoker fired the ship up and made a typically male Martian take-off toward Chi-town, leaving gaping tourists staring at the sky in amazement.

Vinnie sat in the chair near Stoker and watched the scenery fly past. He refused to look at Stoker, who was scrutinising him every now and then from the corner of his eye.

"Want to talk about it, Punk?" his old mentor asked sympathetically.

Vinnie shook his head and folded his arms, staring resolutely out the ship's front screen. He mind was in a whirl as he tried to figure out what was happening to him. At least now he knew what was causing it. Changing his mind, he decided it wouldn't hurt to talk to Stoker about his problem.

"Stoke?"

"Yeah Rookie?"

"You still up for a chat?"

"I'm all ears" Stoker replied, waggling them to emphasise his point.

Taking a deep breath, Vinnie told him about the trip, beginning with when Charlie and he had first decided to go to Las Vegas. He skipped over parts he didn't want to tell the old freedom fighter, but left in enough detail so Stoker was biting his lip to stop him from laughing out loud.

"And you think the medication the doctor gave you is causing this aphrodisiac affect?" Stoker asked, disbelief in voice.

"Afro-d-sack…what?"

Stoker rolled his eyes at his subordinate's lack of familiarity with a dictionary. "You've been on this planet for years Vinnie and you're still as dumb as the day you were born. I thought you would know what aphrodisiac means, considering your obsession with the 'S' word!"

"What 'S' word? Stoker, you're losing me here!" Vinnie complained, trying to get his mentor back to the subject on hand, and off the totally inexplicable word game he wanted to play.

"S...E…X…" Stoker spelled for him.

"I AM NOT OBSESSED!" Vinnie bellowed, making a lunge at Stoker, remembering too late that he was belted in and winding himself against the restraints in the process.

Stoker rolled his eyes. "Yeah right, and I could win the Miss Universe competition!" he said sarcastically, batting his eyelids at Vinnie and blowing him a kiss.

"Not a chance old timer. One look at those hairy legs, and they'd send you right back to the zoo" Vinnie retorted wheezily, trying to breath through the pain caused by the restraints. He took a deep breath to add more insults but Stoker, noticing Vinnie was having trouble breathing, grinned to himself and quickly applied the ship's brakes, before hitting the thrusters a moment later. The effect caused Vinnie to slam into the restraints once again, resulting in another breathless period for the white windbag.

"Were you trying to say something punk?" Stoker asked, smiling innocently.

Vinnie only managed a wheeze or two, accompanied by a glarethat promised payback.

Stoker hummed under his breath and made a cheeky comment about 'how peaceful it was, and was Vinnie enjoying the quiet as much as he was?'

This was too much for the white Martian, who suddenly saw red. Unbuckling himself, he made a lunge for the older Martian, ignoring the fact they were several thousands of feet in the air. Stoker, caught by surprise, yelled at the younger mouse to stop but Vinnie wasn't listening. All the frustration, all the anger over the teasing he had received welled up inside of him and he reacted on pure instinct.

Between trying to stop Vinnie from choking him and keep the ship aloft, Stoker managed to work his laser free from its holster. Aiming, Stoker pulled the trigger, hoping to stun the younger mouse long enough to gain control of the ship. It had the desired effect as Vinnie's hands suddenly dropped from around Stoker's throat, his eyes crossed, a strange look came across his face and he fell to the floor.

"Serves you right punk, you should no better than to attack a pilot when he's flying a ship!" Stoker reprimanded him, fighting to bring the ship off its crazy flight path. When the ship drew level, Stoker turned slightly to check on Vinnie.

The younger mouse was curled in a ball, his hands tucked between his legs. Leaning closer, Stoker noticed two suspicious looking rivulets of water running from the corners of Vinnie's eyes.

"Hey now punk, I was just kidding!" Stoker said, patting the white mouse awkwardly on the shoulder. "I didn't know you were so sensitive about being a nymphomaniac, promise I won't tease you about it again."

Vinnie's eyes opened and he glared at Stoker. "I _know_ what that word means Stoker!" he grated out between gritted teeth.

"Which word?" Stoker asked absently, his eyes straight ahead now as he saw their intended destination coming into view.

"Nymphomaniac!" Vinnie growled.

"And how, pray tell, would you know such a word even exists, oh my ignorant friend?"

"I overheard Charlie use it when she was talking to Carbine about some guy. She had to explain what it meant."

"You mean the girls were talking about you and you decided a little eavesdropping was in order."

"I wasn't eavesdropping, I was walking past the kitchen and happened to overhear a little of their conversation!" Vinnie protested.

"Uh huh, why don't you pull the other one punk, I'd like to have an even gait when I get off the ship today!"

Before Vinnie could come up with a scathing reply, soft footfalls could be heard coming toward him, stopping as he felt a presence pause close to the top his head.

"Vinnie, what are you doing?" Charlie's voice asked him.

Vinnie rolled onto his back, still cradling his hands between his legs. Caught off guard, he floundered around mentally for an explanation, not daring to tell his wife why he was currently in the position he was, and that he'd nearly caused early termination of their flight. "I'm…keeping my hands warm" he supplied lamely.

Charlie frowned, clearly not believing his explanation. "The truth Vinnie!" she insisted, but he only ducked his head into his chest and refused to look her in the eye. Exasperated, she stepped over her immobile mate to try and get some answers from Stoker. She stood at his side, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

Stoker turned and gave her a brilliant smile. "Hello beautiful!" he greeted her. "Feeling better?"

"Hi yourself Stoke" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't suppose you want to explain why Carbine and I were strapped down in the cabin bunks, unconscious?" she asked.

"I stunned you both" Stoker said matter-of-factly, turning his gaze back to the ship's screen.

"Why?" Charlie said, refusing to be put off by this one sentence explanation.

Stoker bit his lip, glancing down at Vinnie. The white mouse shook his head from side to side frantically, pleading with the older mouse not to say anything.

"Sorry beautiful, not my place to say" Stoker said apologetically. Seeing the relief wash over Vinnie's face, Stoker couldn't resist getting in one more dig. "Ask the nympho if you want the full story!" he said, directing her with his eyes in Vinnie's direction.

Charlie turned back to her husband and stood over him, hands on her hips. "Vinnie, when we get home, we are going to have a _long_ chat!" she promised him. Turning on her heel, she headed back to the cabin to check on Carbine.

Stoker looked down at Vinnie, who was still in the foetal position, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Better get strapped in rookie, we're going to be landing any minute" Stoker suggested.

"I'm fine" Vinnie said, refusing to budge from the floor.

"Your choice, I'm not going to baby you" Stoker said. He activated the com, alerting the other passengers of their impending arrival.

Charlie came racing back onto the bridge, skirted round Vinnie and quickly strapped herself into a free chair.

"How's the General?" Stoker said, allowing the ship to angle towards their landing point.

"A little groggy, but fine otherwise" Charlie replied, watching the screen. The architecture of Chi-town came into sharper focus as the ship approached the ground.

The ship banked sharply and then tilted frontwards, wrestling valiantly with gravity as its passengers were pulled forward against their restraints. Vinnie, the only one not belted in, slid toward the front of the bridge, still curled into a fur-ball _(pun intended). _He came to rest against the front of the ship, his legs braced against the metal wall.

Seeing what lay ahead, Charlie wasn't so sure she wanted to see the landing anymore. "Uh Stoke, isn't that the Quigley field scoreboard?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure is beautiful lady!" he replied happily, a mad grin on his face.

Charlie closed her eyes and let out a less-than-polite word used for the act of procreation as the ship burnt a trail toward, and then through, the scoreboard. Fireworks followed the ship's progress into the scoreboard and the crowd watching the baseball game below went wild, thinking they were getting a free no-expense spared half-time show.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dammit Stoker, I should have forced you into retirement when I had the chance!" a voice bellowed from the rear of the ship. "Who ever gave you a ship's licence should have been sold to the sand raiders!"

"Love you too, Carbs!" Stoker called back to the irate general, grinning unrepentantly at the male Martian landing.

He unsealed the ship's lock and activated the ramp. Two lots of footsteps, pounding in tandem, came from the ramp. A blur of tan brown and dusky grey came bursting onto the bridge, separating into one blur of grey and one of tan.

"Charlie!" the blurs shouted in unison.

Before she could unbuckle herself, a set of grey hands were already attacking the restraint's buckle, followed by a pair of brown hands pulling her smoothly out of the seat and against a hard muscled chest.

She was able to enjoy the sensation of being held by the sexy mouse leader for a brief moment, before she was seized again, spun round and crushed tenderly against a taller chest, albeit just as breathtakingly sexy.

"You alright Charlie-ma'am? When we couldn't get into stink-fish's tower, we thought the worst had happened!" the big-hearted grey hulk said in concern.

"I'm fine Modo, it's good to see you again!" she breathed happily against his chest, putting her arms round him and squeezing him tightly. "Wait a sec, did you say you _couldn't _get into Limburger's tower? That's never happened before."

"It's defended by more lasers, cannons and goons than we've ever seen. And there's a new exterior material we couldn't penetrate, as if the whole building is coated with some kind of laser-proof shielding."

"That's not good news Modo. I'll have to have a closer look, maybe I can find a way round it!" Charlie said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation of a mystery unsolved.

Meanwhile, Carbine had come out of the cabin to see what all the noise was about. Seeing his beloved, Throttle gave Charlie a quick kiss of greeting and went to greet his fiancé with a much deeper version of the one he had given Charlie. He led her back to the group and then greeted his old mentor, thumping him on the back and congratulating him on a hard-core landing.

Modo hugged Charlie again before taking a step back and looking round in confusion. "Where's Vinnie?" he asked.

"Over there" Charlie replied, pointing to the front of the ship.

Modo looked at her questioningly but she only shrugged, as confused as he was. Modo walked over to his bro and bent down by his side.

"Hey bro. Why weren't you strapped in? You know it's not safe to fly like that." Modo said.

Vinnie opened his mouth to answer and then shut it as he saw Stoker approach Modo.

Modo turned as he felt Stoker's hand on his shoulder.

"You'll have to carry him out big fella, he won't be able to walk for a while" Stoker said lightly, a devilish gleam in his eyes. He patted Modo on the shoulder and turned to follow the other passengers down the ramp.

"Why were you lying there?" Modo asked as he put Vinnie over his shoulders in a fireman's hold.

"Cos Coach has lousy aim!" Vinnie declared angrily.

"What do you mean he has lousy aim? He's a little off from what he used to be but he's not that bad!"

"Bro, he shot me in the balls! He gave me numb-nuts and now I can't move!"

"I'm sure he was aiming for your legs Vinnie" Modo said gruffly, not prepared to hear another word against Stoker.

Modo carried Vinnie out of the bridge and into their living quarters. They found the rest of the mice sitting around the living room, being regaled by Charlie regarding her trip with Vinnie.

Modo placed his brother on the couch next to Charlie and went to see if he could find a heating pack for Vinnie. Stoker followed Modo into the kitchen and handed him a small self-heating cushion Modo recognised as coming from a typical Martian medical kit.

"The punk jumped me while we were in the air" Stoker said, defending his actions toward the white Martian. "Oh, and Modo…I wasn't aiming for his legs!" Stoker chortled, before returning to the lounge to claim the only available spot next to Charlie.

Modo activated the heating pack and tossed it to Vinnie, who used his arms to cross his legs and placed the pack on top of them.

"I have to pick Sweetheart up from Chef Andy" Vinnie said anxiously to his grey furred brother.

"Later bro, you're in no condition to ride at the moment" Modo reassured him.

Before Charlie could ask about their trip to Mars, Throttle remembered that a James Bomb movie was on, asking if the others would mind watching it. The unanimous decision was to watch the movie and Stoker put his arm round Charlie and hugged her while Carbine quite happily ensconced herself in Throttle's lap on the only armchair in the room. Modo turned off the lights, settling in front of Charlie and leaning back against her legs, smiling with contentment when she ran her fingers through his thick fur.

Vinnie released a sigh as he felt warmth seep into his groin and surrounding leg area. Charlie, not absorbed in the movie as much as the others were, looked sideways at Vinnie's look of pure bliss as he cradled the heat pack. She frowned, determined to drag some answers out of the mouse despite his reluctance to talk.

Leaning over, she whispered in his ear. "We need to talk. Come by the Last Chance at midnight."

"Why!" he demanded to know loudly.

"Sssshhhh!" several voices chorused from the other occupants of the room.

Charlie reached out her left hand and seized Vinnie's chin, pulling his head forward until they were eye to eye. "Because I said so, that's why!" she said sweetly, her voice holding an underlying current of steel. "Carbine is staying in the spare room, buzz me when you get here so you don't wake her" she finished, releasing his face and turning back to sculpting Modo's fur into a mohawk while he was absorbed in the movie. Stoker saw the new hair-do on the freedom fighter and smothered a grin. Charlie winked and nestled against him.

Vinnie eventually felt completely thawed and decided to try moving. He eased his legs out of their crossed position and stood up. Seeing he had full mobility again, he did something he was dying to do for the past hour. He made a mad dash to use the facilities.

A loud flush signalled the grand finale of his personal emergency and he dropped down into the sofa with such a thump that the reverberations bounced Charlie away from Stoker and toward Vinnie. Surprised, Charlie tried to straighten but Vinnie's arm reached round her shoulders and tugged her firmly back against his side. Charlie started to resist, but the sensation of being cuddled by Vinnie was much too delicious to resist and she caved in, burrowing closer and snuggling against his warm body. Vinnie rubbed his cheek against her forehead and wrapped his arm tighter round her.

Stoker had been about to berate the punk for his carelessness, but softened when he saw how the two youngsters reacted to each other. An indulgent smile sat on his lips, and stayed there throughout the movie. He was still grinning like a weed addict stumbling across a souvlaki outlet when the movie finished and Modo got up to turn the lights on. It soon dissolved into hysterics when he got a better look at Modo's new hair-do.

Modo cocked his good eye at his mentor's unexplainable behaviour and shook his head in confusion. He turned to say something to Throttle about it but was even more bewildered to find Carbine covering his bro's mouth with both her hands. She was scolding him about something, but was trying to suppress her own amusement at the same time. Another male voice joined in the merriment as Vinnie got a closer look at Modo's appearance.

The only one not laughing was Charlie, but she did have a suspiciously guilty look on her face.

"They're all crazy" Modo declared to her in his deep, gravely voice. He muttered something else as he left the room to use the bathroom.

Several seconds passed before a loud bellow came from Modo's direction .

"CHARLIE!"

Charlie didn't stop to explain. She bolted out of Vinnie's embrace and made a hasty retreat out of the living room and toward the ship. Before she could get up the ramp, two arms seized her from behind and she let out a squeal.

"Vinnie, let me go before Modo catches me!" she demanded, struggling to get loose.

"Too late!" Modo's baritone voice rumbled in her ear.

He carried her back thru the living room and into the bathroom.

Vinnie stood up half-heartedly, torn between rescuing his wife and tackling a mission focused Modo, or allowing Charlie to get her comeuppance and preserving his own hide.

"Uh Modo, what are you doing?" he asked as his bro walked past.

"I'm going to be a hairdresser" Modo declared, holding a squirming Charlie in one arm and digging through the cabinet drawers. He found what he was looking for and pulled the lid off one of Vinnie's bottles of hair gel. Dipping his fingers in, he scooped up a large chunk of gel and proceeded to rearrange Charlie's hair to his satisfaction. Charlie bellowed in frustration one moment, laughing the next as she demanded Modo release her.

Several minutes passed before a satisfied looking Modo emerged, several bits of gel dripping onto the floor where it had splattered onto his breastplate from Charlie's resistance.

Soon after, Charlie appeared, sporting a new look. Three irregular spikes took up residence on the top of her head, several dreadlocks surrounded the sides. Vinnie barked with laughter but soon shut up when Charlie glared at him. This didn't stop Throttle or Stoker from losing it all over again though. Carbine gave a sympathetic smile but ducked her head before Charlie could see it turn into an amused smirk.

Modo looked at his handiwork and grunted in approval, before slipping back into the bathroom to clean the gel off his breast plate and the floor.

"Charlie-girl, I've got to get Sweetheart. She'll be worried about me!" Vinnie said earnestly, the desire to be with his beloved motorbike overwhelming his urge to tease Charlie over her current Rastafarian look.

Sighing, Charlie agreed. "And I need a shower!"

"Modo and I'll take you" Throttle volunteered as he gently removed Carbine from his lap.

"I'll take Charlie. I wouldn't mind getting settled in myself" Carbine said, pushing him back into the chair as he was about to stand up. She gave him a kiss on his upturned nose and collected Charlie, heading with her to the ship to get their baggage.

"Better give them a hand or Charlie will tear my ears off!" Vinnie said sheepishly and hurried after the women.

"I'll escort the girls to Charlie's place. I'm not happy them being by themselves even if Limburger is off planet at the moment" Stoker volunteered and went to collect his bike from the ship.

Modo came out of the bathroom wiping his breastplate with a hand towel and his brow crinkled at the diminished population of the room. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Vincent wants to pick Sweetheart up, Charlie wants to have a shower after your failed attempt at changing careers, Carbine is going to take her over to the Last Chance and the Coach is going to make sure the girls are ok" Throttle said. "Did you want to come for a ride to take Vinnie over to Chef Andy's?" he asked.

Modo nodded and the two mice went to warm their motorbikes up. They turned when they heard unfamiliar bike engines and saw two motorcycles with traditional freedom fighter camouflaging emerge from the ship, followed by Carbine, Charlie, Vinnie and Stoker. The two bikes were laden with Charlie and Carbine's baggage, while Vinnie had opted to carry his own gear.

"What are you cooking for dinner?" Vinnie asked Charlie as they walked side by side down the ramp, his tummy reminding him it was close to dinner time.

She stopped abruptly, causing Stoker to walk into the back of them. He righted himself and made to apologise but stopped when he realised a possible domestic was brewing.

"What makes you think _I'm _doing the cooking!" she demanded, incredulous.

Vinnie's ears drooped when he realised he'd set off the mechanic's feminist side and he started to back away, but was brought up short by Stoker's chest and could go no further. Charlie glared at him a moment longer, breathing heavily as she contemplated whether it was worth berating him further, or to save it for later and go for that shower she so desperately wanted. Hygiene won out and she turned and marched angrily down the ramp to join Carbine, mumbling under her breath about men and their cavemen notions. She climbed on behind Carbine and slipped her arms round the Martian's trim waist, her anger giving her a death grip that left the mouse feeling almost winded.

"Easy sweety, no point in taking it out on the innocent," Carbine gently chided her, easing the human's arms slightly looser.

Vinnie let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding.

"Have you got a death wish or something punk?" an amused male voice asked from behind him.

"No, just permanent mouth-in-foot disease" Vinnie replied dryly, running his fingers through the fur on his head.

Stoker chuckled as he propelled the youngster down the ramp toward the waiting motorcycles. "Doesn't look like you'll be in her good books any time soon" the older mouse commented, eyeing the fuming female perched behind his favourite general.

"No problem, I'll just take a few of these!" Vinnie replied cheerfully, swinging his backpack round to the front so he could pull out the bottle of pain killers. He shook them enthusiastically in front of the Coach's nose and waggled his eyebrows.

Stoker looked at him thoughtfully and then grinned from ear to ear. "So do I write Universe's Greatest Nymphomaniac on your tombstone when you finally tell her what those little babies _really _do?"

Vinnie stopped shaking the pill bottle abruptly and a panicked look flitted across his face. "Maybe I shouldn't tell her" he said quietly, glancing across at the still fired-up human.

"I'll change it to Universe's Greatest Dumbass then" Stoker said, walking toward his bike and straddling the seat. He moved the bike closer to Vinnie and stared at him long and hard. "If you've got any brain inside that thick skull of yours, I'd tell her immediately if I were you!" he said, before gunning the engine and motioning to Carbine to move out.

"MIDNIGHT, VAN WHAM!" Charlie bellowed over the noise of the engines as they flew past Vinnie.

Stoker brought up the rear, giving a cheerful wave to the three brothers. Modo and Throttle returned it, but Vinnie only made a half-hearted effort at best, gulping anxiously when he thought about the coming meeting with his wife.

"You ready Vin-man?" Throttle asked from the seat of his motorcycle.

"Let me just put my pack away and I'll be right with you" Vinnie replied, jogging toward his bedroom. He threw the pack toward the bed and watched it land on the mattress with a _thwump_, before turning round and jogging back the way he came.

"Who am I riding with?" he asked when he saw Modo all geared up next to Throttle.

"Take your pick" Throttle said, shrugging to indicate his lack of preference.

Vinnie sized up the options available to him; Option A consisted of riding behind his muscular tan-furred leader, and Option B consisted of riding behind his taller and even more muscular grey brother. Though both options would achieve the same purpose, they had a rather severe handicap attached. One which could possibly leave people thinking Vinnie was a good friend of the pink pony from the Circus Circus hotel. _(n.b. readers who don't know what I'm talking about, refer to Viva Las Vegas and you'll get the drift)._

"Option C, sidecar" Vinnie decided out loud.

"What are you talking about?" Throttle asked, unaware of his white bro's thoughts.

"I'll ride in the sidecar" Vinnie replied, pointing at Throttle's ride.

The mouse leader and his taller companion glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

"What's wrong Vincent, am I too macho for you?" Modo asked, blowing kisses at the white mouse.

Throttle snickered but complied with Vinnie's request, pushing the button to unfold the sidecar.

"Nah, too ugly!" Vinnie retorted as he climbed in and placed Throttle's spare helmet on his head.

Throttle didn't wait to see if Vinnie was secured fully, but shot off, causing the white mouse to fall forward and hit his helmeted head on the front of the sidecar.

"Owwwww!" he hollered in protest.

"Better belt in bro, wouldn't want you to hurt that pretty face of yours!" Throttle said over the helmet com, completely unrepentant.

Vinnie's reply was drowned out by a roar of the bikes' engines as the mice took advantage of the reduced traffic on the road to burn some rubber. On the way, they passed a car full of bikini-clad female college students, who waved and wolf-whistled in appreciation at the trio of masculine flesh.

Throttle waved to acknowledge their approval, which brought squeals of excitement and the request for mobile numbers, while Modo merely blushed, smiling shyly and ducking his head slightly.

"Awwww, how sweet! The big one is blushing!" said a blonde student.

"Hey Kathy, see if you can get him to blush even more!" her brunette companion could be heard yelling to her.

"Ok!" the one called Kathy yelled back, and moved her hands toward the back of her bikini top.

Modo's eyes grew wide and he nearly swerved into Throttle, who yelled at him to watch it over the helmet com.

This caused the young females to burst into hysterics and several more of them leaned out of the car windows, attempting to repeat their friend's actions.

"Drop back or go forward Throttle, before the big guy blushes himself, and us off the entire highway!" Vinnie suggested, watching the girl's antics with a smile on his face.

Throttle agreed and ordered Modo to take the lead, putting some distance between themselves and the excitable women. Cries of disappointment followed their departure as the women saw their quarry zoom away faster than their little sedan could follow.

"Are you feeling alright Vincent? You didn't leap out of the sidecar drooling" Throttle commented over the com.

"Yeah bro, what gives?" Modo added. "Normally you'd be making some tacky comment by now and trying to score numbers galore."

Vinnie looked at the two brothers and blinked. "I thought I'd be generous and let you lesser mortals have a taste of the feminine attention that dogs my every step!" he replied, giving them a cocky grin.

"I don't think they were your type Vin-man" Throttle said.

"What makes you say that?" Vinnie asked, confused by his leader's comment.

"I didn't see any valves on them!" replied Throttle and grinned when he heard Modo roar with laughter over the com.

Vinnie shook his head and chuckled despite himself. It was rare to see Throttle so quick off the mark with his sense of humour that the white mouse had to join in.

"What do you do when they get a puncture?" Modo asked in mock seriousness, falling in next to the sidecar.

"I use the repair kit of course" Vinnie replied.

Modo raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What repair kit?"

"Charlie's first aid kit, there's enough bandaids in there to last for a while" Vinnie said with a straight face.

All three mice launched into another round of laughter, which lasted them for the remainder of the journey to Chef Andy's. They pulled into the car park of the Chicago diner and walked inside, their helmets still on.


	5. Chapter 5

"GET THEM HELMETS OFF EFFIN YOU AIN'T PLANNING TO ROB ME PLACE" a male voice boomed from the diner kitchen. "OTHERWISE, I GOT SEVERAL LASER CANONS WAITING TO MEET YA!"

"He's bossy tonight" commented Throttle wryly as the tan Martian removed his helmet.

Modo merely grunted and Vinnie was too busy scanning the interior of the diner for his beloved steed to reply.

"Sweetheart?" he called out hopefully.

An answering roar could be heard from the vicinity of the kitchen and Vinnie eagerly bolted over the serving counter toward the kitchen entrance.

"Now young missy, what have I told you about using your indoor voice!" Chef Andy could be heard scolding someone from the kitchen.

Vinnie pushed the door open and stopped in disbelief when he saw a ladle-wielding Chef Andy hovering over his red mistress.

"Ah Chef, who are you talking to?" Vinnie asked anxiously, fearing the cook had flipped his lid.

Chef Andy turned to the white mouse and his brow crinkled. "Who do you think I'm talking too, scout! Your little lady of course!" he replied, putting the ladle down and stroking Sweetheart's seat.

Sweetheart leant contentedly against the aged chef for a moment, before rolling forward to greet her beloved master. Her engine purred happily as she rubbed herself cat-like against the Martian.

"She's been such a good girl. She can stay over anytime she wants to!" Chef Andy said, smiling indulgently at the red cycle.

Sweetheart beeped enthusiastically in agreement, turning a tight circle to rub herself against Chef Andy once more. She had clearly been well looked after, her gleaming exterior showed the care and attention she had received from a fresh wash and wax.

Chef Andy guided Vinnie and Sweetheart back into the dining area, shaking hands with the other members of the biker mice team.

"Been busy, Chef?" Modo asked politely, glad to see the last member of the team so well cared for.

"Couple of young thugs tried to rob my diner the day after Vinnie dropped her off. They thought an old man would be an easy target. Well, Sweetheart soon showed them the error of their ways. I tell you, this gal is better than a whole SWAT team!" Chef Andy replied, smiling adoringly at the sentient cycle. He made cooing noises at her as if he was amusing a human infant and Sweetheart beeped a chorus of bell-like noises that could almost be mistaken for delighted laughter.

The three mice made gagging faces behind the Chef's back, causing Sweetheart to beep indignantly at them. She moved to the Chef's side and proceeded to scold the three mice in AI-cycle language. The words weren't understandable, but the tone was. The three mice looked suitably chastened by the time she was finished.

"Chef, are you up to cooking some take-away for six?" Vinnie asked.

"Sure lad. Who's visiting?"

"Carbine and Stoker are down for a few weeks."

"Is that right now? I'd like to see the girls myself, and that old rogue too of course." Chef said. "I have a better idea than take-away. Get Charlie on the blower and tell them to meet you at the diner. I'll cook up a feast to remember! On the house of course."

High fives and shouts from all the mice greeted this announcement, followed by a brief discussion over who would let Charlie and the other mice know.

"I'll call Charlie" Throttle announced, walking out to his bike to rouse Charlie.

In the end it was Carbine who answered.

"Where's Charlie-girl, luv?" Throttle asked.

"Still in the shower Fuzzy-buns" Carbine replied.

"Carbine! How many times have I asked you not to call me that!" Throttle protested, blushing red from his girlfriend's personal nickname for him.

Carbine sighed. "Sorry _Throttle!_ Now, can I help or do you need Charlie specifically?"

"Chef Andy has invited us to eat at the diner. He wants to catch up with all of you. Can you tell Charlie please."

"Hang on" Carbine said as she left the communicator and approached the bathroom of the Last Chance Garage.

"Charlie!" she yelled through the door.

"What!"

"Dinner, Andy's, interested?"

"Sandy? Who's Sandy?"

"The Chef!"

"I don't have a shed! Is this Sandy character asking about one?"

Carbine slapped her forehead in frustration and shook her head. "Never mind!" she hollered as she stalked away from the bathroom door.

"I'm not blind!" Charlie yelled back indignantly. "I just can't hear very well through the door!"

"That's an understatement" Carbine said to herself with a grin as she returned to the communicator. "We'll be there in an hour" she told a still waiting Throttle.

"Great. See you soon luv."

"Sure thing…Fuzzybuns!" Carbine's voice replied teasingly.

Before Throttle could reprimand her the line went dead and he was left fuming.

"That woman!" he muttered to himself.

"Is intelligent and beautiful. Wish I had a fine woman like that. I'd let her call me anything she liked, as long as she stuck around to call me it" Chef Andy said from behind him.

Throttle turned to the elderly man and raised his brows in disbelief.

The cook walked forward a few steps and put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "So she gave you a pet name kid, it ain't the worst thing a woman can do. You boys got to stop letting your macho side interfere so much with your softer side."

Throttle grinned ruefully and squeezed the older man's hand in understanding.

"They'll be here in an hour" he said.

"Good. Gives me just enough time to cook that feast I promised you."

"We'll help" Throttle volunteered as they returned inside, letting Sweetheart outside to join her companions.

Vinnie, who was sitting in a booth with his feet on the table, protested at this news. Modo, who was sitting opposite him, stood up and knocked his younger bro's feet off the table. He grabbed Vinnie by the bandoleer straps and hauled him out of the booth and into the kitchen.

"Lazy 'un aint he!" Chef Andy said disapprovingly as he put a 'Closed' sign up on the diner door.

"He just lacks motivation" Modo rumbled, tossing a bag of carrots at Vinnie.

"What's my inspiration supposed to be tonight, Director Modo?" Vinnie asked sarcastically, reaching sullenly for a peeler.

"Help, or starve!" Throttle supplied, putting some potatoes in a pot to boil.

Vinnie set to peeling with a will.

By the time two additional motorcycles bearing the remaining mice and Charlie joined the three in the car park, the meal was ready to serve. Chef Andy left the boys to put together the final touches while he went to greet his guests. He kissed the girls and welcomed Stoker into the diner, ushering them to several tables placed in a row, complete with candles and cutlery.

The women each had a bottle of wine and Stoker held a couple of six-packs of beer in each hand, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Do you really think you should be drinking? After all, our show is rated for children!" Chef Andy said worriedly.

"Yeah, but this is a fanfic…and there ain't no children's rating!" Stoker crowed, taking the tops off two beers with his teeth and handing one to the astonished chef.

Stoker pulled out two chairs simultaneously for Carbine and Charlie and sat down between the women. Chef Andy moved over to the juke-box and selected several tunes from the seventies, taking a deep swig of his beer. As the music began to play, he quickly moved to the kitchen door and held it open for the biker mice bearing platters of goodies. A chorus of whistles and foot stamping greeted the arrival of the feast as the platters were placed in the middle of the table.

Relieved of his burdens, Throttle moved round the table and kissed Carbine briefly on the lips, before seating himself next to her, while Vinnie encouraged Modo to sit next to Charlie. Modo was surprised by his friend's behaviour but obligingly seated himself next to the mechanic. Vinnie graciously offered Chef Andy the chair opposite Charlie and took the seat at the head of the table.

_She won't be able to kick me from here! _he thought happily to himself and smiled proudly at his deft manoeuvring.

Corks were popped, beers were passed round, plates were filled and eating commenced, accompanied by light chit chat and laughter. Vinnie waited for his turn to come and took a large serve from each of the platters of meat loaf, lasagne, mashed potato, steamed vegies and various side salads. He had worked up quite an appetite and dug in with the legendary Van Wham gusto. He only paused long enough to swallow mouthfuls of beer and to grunt noncommittal to any comments passed his way.

A couple of hours later and the party was still in full swing, empty dishes and overstretched bellies testifying to its success.

"Time to clean up" Chef Andy announced, struggling to get upright.

"You boys relax, we'll take of them" Charlie volunteered. "Come on sexy!" she said to Carbine, who was contentedly leaning back against Throttle's arm, slung over the back of her chair.

Carbine groaned at the expanse of her belly but managed to haul herself out of the chair.

"Thanks ladies" Stoker said as they stood up.

The two girls looked at each other and frowned. Grabbing one arm each, they pulled Stoker out of his chair.

"Anyone who hasn't cooked can help clean up. That means you too" Carbine said, handing him a stack of plates.

"No comments about a woman's place being in the kitchen Van Wham, or you'll be joining our new busboy!" Charlie said warningly to Vinnie.

Vinnie, who was industriously working through the remainder of the lasagne, paused with the fork near his mouth.

"Doll-face, I do open my mouth to do things other than talk you know!" he protested, winking broadly as he shoved the last piece of lasagne into his mouth. He chewed enthusiastically to emphasise his point.

Charlie rolled her eyes and went back to clearing the table with Stoker and Carbine. The three self-assigned kitchen hands emptied the clean dishes out of the dish washer, drying off the excess water. Stoker started loading the dirty dishes inside when two identical stings hit him on his buttocks. He reared up in surprise and gawked at the grinning females with rolled tea-towels in their hands.

"That's a fine piece of work you've got there!" Charlie said teasingly.

"Yeah Stokes, who would have thought you were hiding it all these years!" Carbine agreed.

Stoker grabbed his own tea-towel to counter-attack but the women ran out of the kitchen laughing. He chased them into the dining area, round the tables to excited questioning from the other men and back into the kitchen again, managing to corner Charlie in his arms and grabbing Carbine with his tail.

"You naughty girls!" he said delightedly and flicked them soundly on their behinds with his own tea-towel.

He released them quickly and bolted back into the dining area, flipped over the table and landed squarely in his seat. He picked up his beer as the two women burst through the door with revenge written all over their faces.

"Ok, that's enough. Playtime's over ladies" he said, saluting them with his beer.

"Spoilsport!" Carbine said as she returned to her seat and refilled her glass with wine.

"Careful babe!" Throttle protested, watching her down the whole glass in one swallow.

"Relax bro, the girls can drive home tonight!" Vinnie said reassuringly, opening his third beer for the night.

"There's no way I'm driving!" Charlie said, refilling her own glass.

"I meant Sweetheart" Vinnie said matter-of-factly.

"Oh…well…drink up people!" Charlie said enthusiastically, handing a beer to Throttle. He took it reluctantly, sipping it slowly but grew bolder with several encouraging nudges from Carbine.

The jukebox finished playing its latest song and went silent. Charlie, the only one still standing, walked over and started perusing the list. Vinnie stood up and came over to join her.

"That one" he said, pointing to Metallicrank.

Charlie screwed up her face in protest. "Not tonight, I want something to dance too" she said, entering a few jazzy numbers guaranteed to get everyone up and moving.

Vinnie entered a random choice into the machine before she could put any more in and smiled cheekily at his wife.

"What did you choose?" she asked, curiously scanning the music menu.

"Dunno" he replied. He didn't really care about the selection, he was just peeved he couldn't get his own way with the music and wanted to annoy Charlie.

Charlie's selections came on and soon the mice and humans were dancing in the middle of the floor. Beer and wine sloshed from glasses held aloft, splashing onto the floor and making it slippery enough for several members of the party to tumble into each other. Vinnie tried to teach Chef Andy to break-dance, but Throttle put a stop to it before the elderly human ended up slipping a disc.

After five songs, Charlie's selection ended and Vinnie's random choice started. It turned out to be a slow, smoochy number that had Modo, Stoker and Chef Andy returning to their chairs to catch their collective breath and refresh themselves with soft drink and water. It was generally agreed that the remainder of the alcohol would retire for the night.

As Vinnie attempted to return to his seat, Charlie grabbed him by the arm and swung him back round to face her.

"Oh no you don't, you chose it, you can dance to it!" Charlie said, slipping her arms round his neck.

Vinnie made a face at the song but complied with his wife's desire to slow dance, slipping his arms round her waist and pulling her closer till they were hip to hip.

Throttle, seeing how it was done, slipped his arms round Carbine and began copying Vinnie's movements.

"That's it Fuzzybuns!" Chef Andy called encouragingly from the table.

Carbine buried her head in Throttle's chest, biting on her lip as she tried to control her hysterics. Throttle buried his face in her hair, his chest shaking from suppressed laughter.

"Carbine should be ashamed of herself!" Vinnie declared to Charlie in a fierce whisper.

"Why?" Charlie asked, puzzled by his vehemence.

"Throttle is a freedom fighter hero, a legendary warrior. His record demands the upmost respect! Fuzzybuns just doesn't fit that image, Charlie-girl. I mean have you ever heard of Fuzzybuns the Invincible? Fuzzybuns the Fearless?"

"Yeesh Vinnie, lighten up. First of all, they're in love ok. People in love do that sort of thing."

"You won't find me doing that when I'm in love!" Vinnie declared emphatically.

Charlie stopped dancing and tensed. "Then _why_ did you marry me if you're not in love with me! We might have been intoxicated, but you could have said no if you really wanted to!" she gritted out between clenched teeth.

Vinnie's eyes started searching frantically round the room for a shovel. He was in desperate need of a hole right now and none seemed forthcoming.

"Sweetheart, I didn't mean it like that!" he said, taking her face between his hands.

"Then how did you mean it Van Wham! From where I'm standing, it _sounded_ like you only married me so you could get into my pants!" Charlie fumed.

"Charlie-girl….I….uh….I'm sorry?" Vinnie stammered, dropping his hands from her face.

"Not good enough this time Vinnie!" she spat, before turning on her heel and storming into the kitchen.

Vinnie moved to follow but a hand restrained him. He turned to face Carbine, a sympathetic look on her face.

"I'll talk to her. This is going to need a woman's touch, if you don't want your eyes scratched out" Carbine said, leaving Throttle to guide the miserable mouse back to the table.

Throttle pressed a bottle of root-beer into the younger Martian's hand and urged him to take a swig.

"Don't worry bro. If anyone can bring Charlie-girl round, it's Carbine" the tan leader said, trying to reassure his younger bro.

Vinnie nodded glumly and sat quietly, nursing his root-beer, lost in his own thoughts. The other mice and Chef Andy talked quietly amongst themselves, glancing occasionally at Vinnie, occasionally at the female voices coming from the kitchen. Once in a while Charlie's low pitch would become a shout and they would see Vinnie visibly cringe.

After what seemed like forever, well to Vinnie anyway, to the rest of the mice it was more like ten minutes; the door opened and Carbine emerged, looking smug. She held the door open and Charlie came out, still simmering but a lot less so than before.

Vinnie sat up in his chair and looked at her intently, trying to gauge her temperament.

Ignoring him, Charlie walked over to Chef Andy and kissed him on the cheek, thanking him for dinner. The chef stood up hastily and gave her a hug goodbye, surprised by her hasty departure. She hugged Modo, who was next along the table and then Stoker, who protested her early retirement.

"I'm tired Stokes, I'll see you tomorrow" she said, ruffling his head fur.

Carbine spoke quickly with Throttle, reassuring him that everything would be ok. She kissed him goodbye, lingering longer than she normally did in front of other people.

"Night Sweet-cheeks!" he said, slapping her on the rear.

Grinning, she tried to cuff him but his freedom fighter instincts kicked in and he ducked her mock-punch before it could land on its intended destination.

"Ready?" Carbine asked Charlie.

"In a sec" Charlie replied, as she moved finally to Vinnie. "Carbine convinced me to give you one more chance. If you want it, you'll be at the garage at midnight, and no later. Or else this friendship, and this marriage is over…if you let me down, I will never speak to you again!" she whispered into his ear, her tone leaving no doubt as to the seriousness of the message.

Wisely, Vinnie didn't try to defend himself, only nodded slightly to show he understood. Charlie relented a little and brushed his cheek with her lips but it was more perfunctory than anything else.

Carbine walked outside with her friend and climbed onto her motorbike. Charlie swung her leg over the back and settled onto the seat.

"You ok?" Carbine asked quietly.

"I'll be fine. I just need some space from the black hole in that man's head" Charlie replied.

Carbine chuckled. "He is pretty clueless sometimes, but I know he does care for you Charlie. Martian males are so used to being the hero, always having to be macho, that it takes a long time for them to learn to open up and just be themselves. Fortunately for Vinnie, he picked just the right woman to help him."

Charlie was touched by her friend's confidence in her and hugged her from behind.

"Throttle's one lucky guy, Carbine!"

Carbine winked at her and gunned the engine. "I know, but sometimes we have to remind them of it!"

The freedom fighter motorbike popped a wheelie in the car park and shot off toward the Last Chance Garage, leaving a herd of males, both human and otherwise, to finish cleaning up.


	6. Chapter 6

Throttle, Stoker and Chef Andy decided to tackle the kitchen, while Vinnie helped Modo in the dining area. Modo, who understood that the youngster needed some thinking time, refrained from unnecessary talk and just kept an eye on his white bro.

Vinnie finished wiping down the last table and asked Modo "What's the time bro?"

Modo checked the clock over the diner counter and replied "Eleven thirty. Why, you got a hot date or something?"

Vinnie wiped the sweat from his brow and chucked the cloth on to the counter. "I need to do some shopping. Sorry to bail, but I can't leave it any longer."

"Get going bro, I'll cover you" Modo agreed, waving briefly.

Vinnie ducked his head into the kitchen and thanked the Chef for dinner, informed them of what he was doing and then bolted out of the diner, jumped on Sweetheart and directed her to the local shopping mall. Parking Sweetheart close by the entrance, he rushed into the twenty-four hour shopping mall and frantically spent the next twenty minutes making purchases.

Carefully stowing his purchases, he urged Sweetheart toward the Last Chance Garage as fast as he dared. He pulled up outside with a few minutes to spare and sat breathing heavily. Remembering what Charlie had said, he wiped his hands nervously on his jeans before activating the com to raise Charlie.

"I'm here" he croaked over the com.

"I'm just grabbing my jacket" Charlie's replied.

Another minute passed, during which he unstowed one of the items he had bought. He climbed off Sweetheart and waited anxiously at the front of the garage.

Charlie pulled her leather jacket on, grabbed her helmet and rushed down the stairs. She pulled the door open and was greeted by a blur of red blocking the doorway.

The bouquet of red roses was pushed into her arms before she could say anything and while her arms were occupied, her lips were seized in a deep kiss as Vinnie tried to convey how very, very sorry he was.

Vinnie broke the kiss and looked pleadingly at her.

"Please sweetheart, give me another chance!" he pleaded forlornly.

Charlie kissed him lightly on the lips. "You've just earned yourself another chance with these babies, Van Wham!" she replied.

Vinnie let out a shaky breath and smiled happily.

"We still have to talk though" Charlie reminded him, not letting him entirely off the hook.

"And I know just the place" he said, as she returned inside to put the flowers in various jars of water.

He helped her slip her helmet on, zipped her jacket up for her and made sure she was comfortable behind him on Sweetheart. Urging the sentient bike toward the spot he had picked, he drew his wife's arms tighter round him, basking in the warmth of her body wrapped round his own.

Their departure was noted by a grinning Martian watching from the spare bedroom window of the Last Chance…and a figure hidden deep in the shadows.

"What have we got here?" the shadowy figure wheezed, pushing its miniature spectacles further up its feminine nose. "A midnight tryst between lovers. How interesting. I think her extreme cheesiness will want to know about this!"

The figure nodded its bulbous head in agreement with itself and rubbed its hands together gleefully, squealing quietly with anticipation at the possibility of a promotion. Checking to see that the remaining Martian had deserted the garage window, the figure moved quietly and quickly, hugging the shadows cast by the buildings along the street as it joined a larger and bulkier figure sitting in a vehicle that looked like the progeny of an all-wheel drive vehicle and an army tank.

"I wanted to watch!" the driver of the vehicle whined loudly at the arrival of its companion.

"Quiet, Greasepit! I don't have time for your insistent whining!" the shadowy figure replied, slapping the driver over the back of the head. "Follow the motor-mouth and the mechanic, but keep your distance."

"Mister Limburger would have let _me_ watch, not you!" Greasepit spat. "I hate you Carbuncle! You're a skinny little wimp, a girly girl quack!"

"And you're a big, stupid oaf who trips on his own oil-spill and couldn't find his ass with a compass and a map!" Carbuncle replied evenly. He knew his co-worker had no liking for him but was more than happy about the whole situation. The feeling was 'bullet in the back' mutual. "Now, SHUT UP and follow that mouse!" he ordered.

Greasepit looked askance that the diminutive scientist would dare even speak to him in such a way. He growled something under his breath but knew better than to refuse. Their new employer would not tolerate any disobedience in the chain of command, enforcing her will with an iron rod.

He started the engine and followed their intended quarry at a discreet distance, grumbling to himself the whole time. They drove down the street, turned several times and ended up in a secluded section of Chi-town's city park. They pulled out their binoculars and watched as Vinnie hopped off the bike and turned to Charlie, taking her hands in his.

"What are they talking about?" Greasepit blurted out, bursting with frustration from having to sit still for more than a minute.

"If you shut up like I told you too, we could hear the transmitter" Carbuncle snarled at him, cranking the volume of the speaker so he could hear the lovers' conversation.

"…Charlie-girl, there's something I need to tell you. Do you remember the painkillers the doctor gave me in Vegas?" Vinnie's voice could be heard saying.

"Sure can. But what's that got to do with your weird behaviour lately?" Charlie replied.

"Well, I didn't feel any relief after the first lot I took, so I took four of them at the same time."

"Vinnie! You heard Doctor Sung's orders!" Charlie scolded him.

"Never mind that Charlie. Focus on what I'm trying to tell you. It's important. After I took the tablets, I felt really lethargic and began to sweat. And then…"

"And then…what?" Charlie prompted after a pause of several seconds.

Greasepit and Carbuncle listened in disbelief as Vinnie finally unloaded all that had transpired since their departure from Vegas and their return to Chicago. They were even more startled by Charlie's response.

Charlie looked at her husband after she heard his explanation, and burst into laughter.

"Seriously Vinnie, why don't you just tell me the truth instead of this big, elaborate story I'm sure you've been concocting since we landed."

"It's true Charlie! Ask Stoker, he'll confirm everything I've said…well, parts of it anyway."

"I don't want to ask Stoker. It's the most ridiculous, albeit highly entertaining, story you've ever come up with. Now, are you going to tell me what _really_ happened?"

"I guess I'm just going to have to prove it to you then" he said resignedly.

"Fine with me" Charlie chuckled, her arms folded over her chest in disbelief.

"We might as well be comfortable" Vinnie said, lifting her off Sweetheart and setting her on her feet.

He pulled out a blanket and placed it on the ground, giving Charlie his hand and lowering her to sit on the blanket. He turned back to Sweetheart, pulled out a bottle of soda and two cups, activated the camera and sat down next to Charlie.

He poured two cups of root beer, handing one to Charlie. He pulled out the pain killer bottle and uncapped it, shaking out four of the pills and held them in his hand in front of her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Definitely" she replied, watching him with twinkling eyes.

He put the pills in his mouth and drank the whole cup in one gulp, feeling the pills slide down his throat. "I've set Sweetheart's camera up and she's going to record the whole thing" he said, as the motorcycle drew closer to the couple.

Charlie watched him intently, sipping her drink and smiling the whole time, trying not to giggle at the absurdness of it all. Her smile started to slide downwards as she noticed the fine sheen that started to cover Vinnie's body.

"This isn't funny any more Vinnie. You're making me nervous!" she protested worriedly, as Vinnie's eyes began to glaze.

"Not long now" he tried to reassure her.

The musky odour that signalled the next stage of the pill overdose soon filled the air and Charlie stopped panicking. She also stopped speaking and thinking and contented herself with throwing her half-filled cup aside and lunging at Vinnie.

Vinnie didn't fight her, merely opened his arms and encased her in his embrace. When she reached hungrily for his lips, he gave her the kiss willingly, allowing her to guide him as to what she wanted.

Feeling bolder this time, Vinnie decided to experiment. Charlie kissed him again and then broke the contact to bite gently at his nape. Vinnie manoeuvred her so he could copy her gesture, which earnt him a purr of approval.

"You like that hey?" he teased, mimicking the next three next actions she did.

The fourth time he did it, she growled and her eyes narrowed, showing her displeasure.

"Ok sweetheart, no need to get huffy" Vinnie said, hurriedly drawing back.

Seeing her mate withdrawing from her, Charlie let out another growl and pinned him to the ground, breathing heavily as she hovered over him.

Vinnie wasn't finished experimenting and decided to try another tactic. He took the offensive this time and seized her face between his hands, holding her still while he gently assaulted her mouth. Charlie's eyes widened at this action but soon closed as she allowed her mate to take the initiative for once.

Vinnie rolled her on to her back and continued to take the lead, gently at first. As he kissed her, Charlie grew more demanding. Her hands wandered all over his body, pulling him closer against her hips as she attempted to weld them together.

"Easy Charlie-girl!" Vinnie laughed breathlessly as she nipped at his chest.

His body jerked when her teeth sank in deeper than was polite.

"I said take it easy!" he repeated, more sternly this time.

Charlie drew back and looked at him. "What's wrong Vinnie? Afraid a _girl _can kick your ass?" she said, baring her teeth in a feral grin.

His manhood thus challenged, Vinnie gave up any pretence of being a gentleman to defend his honour.

"That's it, fight back!" she purred in his ear, urging him on as he used all the strength he could muster to hold her down.

Any consideration, any tenderness and any gentleness that might have marked the occasion went out of the park as the love-making soon degenerated into a laughing, messy struggle for dominance as each strived to make the other senseless with passion.

"I've seen enough" Carbuncle said, putting his binoculars down on the spare seat.

"This is gold!" Greasepit said, as he hurriedly scribbled down on a writing pad. "I didn't even know that was legal!" he said in awe, as he looked through the binoculars.

"You disgusting, odorous buffoon! Stop that at once!" Carbuncle demanded, yanking the binoculars out of Greasepit's hand.

A meaty fist came down on Carbuncle's misshapen head and made it even rounder than its original shape. Greasepit grabbed his binoculars again and began peering through them once more.

A loud siren blared in front of them, accompanied by flashing lights.

"The cops!" Carbuncle squealed, sinking down into his seat.

"Oh dang! Just when it was getting interesting!" Greasepit moaned as a spotlight shone on Vinnie and Charlie.

"Let's go, let's go!" Carbuncle urged him.

"No, I want to see what happens" Greasepit rumbled, glaring down at his companion.

Two male officers climbed out of the police car and approached the lovers.

"Kids, it's illegal in this great city of ours to conduct such activity in a public place. You'll have to finish it at home" the older cop said, doing his best to hide a smile at the busted lovers.

"Sorry officer" Vinnie said breathlessly, trying to push Charlie off him. "Charlie, come on. We have to go home."

Charlie ignored him and continued on with what they had originally been doing.

"Miss, did you hear me? You'll have to go home and do that!" the officer repeated, shining the light in her face.

"We're coming!" Vinnie yelled to the officers, groaning as Charlie put him through his paces.

"You'd better believe it" she whispered in his ear.

"Charlie please, stop! Before you get us arrested!" Vinnie pleaded with her.

"I want to Vinnie, but I have no control over what I'm doing!" Charlie said to him, panic evident in her voice.

Vinnie looked pleadingly at the officers. "Can you give us a minute?" he begged them.

"Get your pants on, NOW, or my partner and I are going to cite you for indecent exposure!" the younger officer said sharply.

"I can't make her stop!" Vinnie yelled back at him, trying to sit-up but Charlie was having none of it and pushed him sharply back down.

"Lucky guy!" the younger officer said, grinning at his partner.

The older officer only harrumphed and re-clipped his torch.

"Grab her left side, I'll take the right and we'll lift her off" he instructed his partner and they moved as a well-oiled team to surround Charlie.

The human female ignored their presence until she was seized by both arms and lifted several feet in the air. The officers put her back on her feet and tried to handcuff her but she swept the feet out from the younger officer and delivered a nimble kick to his groin as he fell to the grassy earth.

His partner currently engaged with nursing his crown jewels, the older officer was left to deal with a highly aroused, highly enraged female.

"Easy lass!" he said, unclipping the stun gun on his belt.

Charlie snarled with rage at the unscheduled interruption and moved to deal with the remaining intruder. As she moved with unbelievable speed toward the police officer, Vinnie, who was sitting on the blanket re-zipping his jeans, saw what was about to happen and shot out his leg.

Charlie was caught unawares and tripped over Vinnie's leg. She stumbled briefly but regained her feet, still intent on the intruder. It only took seconds but it was enough time for the officer to finish pulling out his stun gun and to neutralise Charlie's headlong rush toward him. She blanked out and fell forward into the officer's arms, who caught her just before she hit the ground.

"Thanks lad" the officer said, acknowledging Vinnie's part in bringing Charlie to a standstill.

Vinnie only nodded tiredly as he pulled Charlie off the officer. He wrapped her in the blanket while the officer checked on his partner. The younger officer was tearful over the pain but recovered enough to hobble to the front passenger seat of the car.

"Can we go now?" Vinnie asked the senior officer hopefully.

"Fraid not lad. Your girlfriend assaulted an officer, and you've broken several laws yourself with your antics here tonight" the officer replied. "Get in the back and I'll call a tow-truck to get your bike."

The officer opened the door to the back and Vinnie carefully climbed inside, making sure he didn't bump Charlie's head on the door as he did so.

"Her clothes are on the ground…somewhere" the Martian told the officer as he closed the door.

The officer laughed and went to collect Charlie's clothes while his partner phoned for a tow-truck. Vinnie was tempted to tell Sweetheart to go home but he didn't want to panic Carbine and have his bros get hold of the footage on the camera.

Once the officer had finished finding as much of Charlie's clothing as he could, he returned to the vehicle and started the car.

"The tow-truck will be here in five to pick up your ride" the officer said as Vinnie looked anxiously back at Sweetheart.

"Uh, thanks" Vinnie replied, moving Charlie so she rested on his shoulder and wasn't dribbling down his chest anymore. "How long before this wears off?" he asked the officer.

"Most people wake up within half an hour" the younger officer answered him, turning around to look at the sleeping mechanic. "She looks almost peaceful now. Yeesh fella, how do you deal with a powerhouse like that!"

"Easy, you say 'yes ma'am'!" Vinnie replied, grinning at the officer.

The younger officer eyed him uncertainly and didn't look completely convinced that Vinnie was only humouring him.

The older officer snorted and drove the car out of the city park toward the police station. Unnoticed by the police car, another vehicle quietly left the park, following at an inconspicuous distance.

By the time they arrived at the station, Charlie was showing signs of coming around. The driver pulled into the carpark and his partner hopped out and opened the rear door, helping Vinnie and Charlie out of the backseat.

She was still groggy and Vinnie had to carry her inside the station, much to the enjoyment of the prisoners inside. Catcalls and wolf-whistles followed their progress as a barefooted and bare-chested Vinnie still carried a semi-naked Charlie, who's blanket had parted to reveal her shapely legs. Her shoulders were bare as well, as the top half of the blanket had slid down her shoulders, and her sleepy face made her look even sexier.

"That's enough!" the desk officer bellowed at the prisoners. "What have you brought in this time Murphy?" he asked the senior officer.

"Couple of kids having a bit of fun in the park" Murphy replied.

"I've got a station full of idiot pimps, prostitutes and would-be punks, and you waste my time bringing in a couple of lovebirds. What next? Going to arrest a dog for peeing on a fire-hydrant?" the desk officer said sarcastically.

"She assaulted my partner, _Merv, _so quit your whining and just do your job!" Murphy replied, irate now with the desk officer's attitude.

The desk officer looked at Murphy's partner. "_That_ little lady hit you did she Cassidan? Did you want me to beat her up for you?" he said, making baby noises at the younger officer.

"I'd like to see that Merv, you could do with a kick to the googlies!" Cassidan replied, getting red round the ears with rage.

"What about you lover-boy? Get your kicks out of being whipped?" Merv threw at Vinnie.

Vinnie gently put Charlie down on the ground and was about to give the officer a first rate verbal lashing, but Charlie's arm shot out, grabbed Merv by the throat and hauled him forward. She bounced his head on the desk a couple of times and then threw him across the room and into the wall.

Stunned silence greeted this display of unusual strength. And then loud applause broke out as Merv and Cassidan and all the other officers present in the station expressed their approval.

Charlie stared at the officers in surprise but her gaze soon returned to her husband, standing in only his jeans. Known only to her, he was still emitting the musky odour that triggered her reactions and she moved purposely toward him.

Vinnie, knowing she wouldn't stop until she finished what she started, pulled her against him and held her tightly in his arms.

"Sir, she's only going to get more and more violent. You have to let me do something!" he begged Murphy.

"Son, in my opinion, she just earnt that right!" Murphy said, chuckling as he beckoned them toward the rear of the station.

He led them to an empty holding cell with a couple of beds.

"Cassidan and I will go for a cup of coffee and return in half an hour. That enough time for you?" he asked Vinnie who was already being propositioned by Charlie.

"Plenty!" Vinnie answered as he was pulled down on to one of the beds.

Murphy put Charlie's clothes on the spare bed, locked the cell and chuckled as he walked away. He whistled with pleasure as he noticed Merv being handed an ice pack for his head.

"You let anyone in to disturb them while we're away Merv, and I'll shove you in there myself!" he promised the desk officer. "Come on Cas, smoko-time!" he called to his partner, who smirked at Merv before hurrying after Murphy.

The vehicle that had followed the two officers sped off in the opposite direction when its occupants saw that their quarry had been left inside.

"We gotta tell da boss!" Greasepit exclaimed, putting his foot down hard on the pedal.

"Indeed, for once I agree with you, you hulking ignoramus!" Carbuncle replied.

The vehicle left a cloud of dusty black smoke in its wake as it disappeared into the night.


	7. Chapter 7

Murphy and Cassidan returned after a leisurely coffee break to find a still-surly but much chastened Merv back behind the desk. They ignored him as they entered the rear of the police station and knocked cautiously on the cell wall to announce their arrival.

A tousled looking but clothed Charlie greeted them.

"Officer, there's been some mistake! You've got the wrong woman!" she said anxiously.

"Charlie-girl, I just told you why we're in prison!" a tired male voice called out to her.

"Stop lying Vinnie! It's not funny!" she yelled at her husband.

"Ma'am, do you remember anything of the past hour?" Murphy solicitously asked the confused-looking female.

"Vinnie and I were talking, he made up some cock and bull story to do with his painkillers and the next thing I know, I'm naked in a police station cell!" she replied. Rounding on her husband, she shook her finger in his face. "You drugged me didn't you!" she accused him.

"Is this true?" Cassidan asked, glaring disapprovingly at Vinnie.

"Of course not!" Vinnie said, dropping his head into his hands. He wished Charlie could remember what happened, remember anything at all that would convince his wife he wasn't the monster she currently thought him to be.

Surprisingly, rescue came from an unexpected quarter.

"I don't know of any such drug that can cause the type of reactions you were displaying ma'am. And all the known date-rape drugs cause the victim to be unable to resist physically. You were using strength not even steroids could produce in a woman" Murphy said. "And your friend is right, you were in the city park, you literally could not keep your hands off him and certainly didn't like the notion of anyone interfering!"

"You even kicked me in the nuts when we tried to stop you!" Cassidan supplied helpfully.

"Did I?" Charlie asked sadly.

Two male heads nodded in confirmation.

"Sorry!" Charlie said ashamedly, pulling a sympathetic face.

"And then you threw Merv into the wall!" Cassidan said gleefully, remembering the fat officer's face meeting with the brickwork.

"I'd better apologise to him too" Charlie said anxiously.

"No!" Murphy and Cassidan said in unison.

At her distressed expression, Murphy put his arm round the young woman's shoulder and led her to the spare bed.

"Lass, he's had it coming for years. Trust me, this is one apology you don't need to make. He's going to be a lot more respectful from now on, especially if I drop hints that you might be popping in to visit every now and then, and we'll make darn sure he doesn't try for any assault charges!" Murphy said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Murphy, do we have to book 'em? I mean, she did teach Merv how to fly!" Cassidan said to his superior. The youngster didn't harbour a grudge against Charlie since she had expressed genuine remorse over her actions toward him.

Murphy looked at his partner, looked at Vinnie who hadn't raised his head the whole time and at the still distressed Charlie. He struggled with his police training and finally gave in.

"I'll have to issue you with a warning, but I won't book you. You'll stay overnight at the station and the boys will let you out in the morning" he told her gently.

Charlie squealed with delight and threw her arms round the officer's neck. She hugged Cassidan as well who tensed slightly and moved his private regions out of harm's way.

"Thank you!" Vinnie said gratefully, shaking the officers' hands.

"You're bike is in the back. It'll be brought round in the morning" Murphy said.

"Can I make a phone call? I need to let my roommate know where I am before she starts panicking" asked Charlie.

"Sure. We'll get one of the juniors take you through" Murphy promised, standing up. "Now, Cassidan and I have to do up the paperwork and then we're back on patrol for another few hours, so we won't see you in the morning."

"And remember, no more public shenanigans!" Cassidan replied with a jaunty wink as he followed Murphy out of the cell.

Murphy relocked the cell and left with Cassidan to sort out the necessary paperwork at their desks, leaving instructions with one of the junior officers to give Charlie her free phone call.

Vinnie stretched out on his bed and put his arm over his eyes, exhausted from his wife's demands and the excitement of the night's activities. He soon started snoring gently as he drifted off to sleep. Charlie watched him for a while, got bored and started to read some of the graffiti lining the cell walls. She was halfway through reading a rather descriptive piece about a young lady from Venus when a key was turned in the cell's door. Making a mental note to herself to finish the poem after her phone call, she turned to the visitor.

A buxom female police officer of Hispanic descent was standing in the entrance, glancing at the sleeping Vinnie. She turned to Charlie with an appreciative smile.

"Your boyfriend is really hot! I don't blame you for getting jiggy in the park. I'd do exactly the same myself if I had a gorgeous man like that" she said in a friendly manner.

Charlie gave her a half-smile. "Actually, he's my husband" she said, correcting the officer's mistake.

"Smart girl" the officer said approvingly.

"Beg yours?" Charlie asked confused.

"Marrying him. No point in letting some _chica_ snatch him out from under your nose" the officer replied, whose name badge said 'Jensen'. "Murphy said you wanted your phone call. Come with me."

Charlie followed the officer out to the hall where there were several pay phones located on the wall. Jensen handed a quarter to Charlie and retired a discrete distance from her charge.

Charlie selected one of the more hygienic looking phones and put the quarter in, dialling the Last Chance. It rang for several seconds before a sleepy sounding Carbine finally answered it.

When she realised it was Charlie, she came instantly alert.

"How was your _talk_?" she asked, her voice heavy with innuendo.

"Interesting to say the least. Vinnie finally came clean and told me what's going on, well more to the point he decided to show me since I didn't believe him at first. As a result, we now have to spend the night in prison" Charlie replied.

"I'll grab the boys and we'll have you out in twenty minutes!" Carbine promised, clearly upset her friend was in police custody.

"It's okay Carbine. We're being let off with a warning, but we have to stay overnight to 'learn our lesson'. We'll be back sometime in the morning. Will you be alright by yourself?" Charlie asked.

"I'll be fine. I can always call Fuzzybuns if I get scared of the dark!" Carbine replied, a cheeky grin in her voice.

Charlie bit back her laughter, glancing sidelong at Jensen who was tapping her watch to show Charlie her time was nearly up.

"I gotta go Carbs, let the boys know about Vinnie and I'll see you tomorrow" Charlie said.

Charlie put the receiver back on its hook and followed Jensen back to the cell, thanked her for the phone call, finished reading her poem and moved to lie down on the spare bed. Unfortunately, the mattress was lumpy and oddly shaped from previous tenants and she tossed and turned for several minutes, trying to get comfortable.

The protesting squeaks of the opposite bed as Charlie attempted to pound some comfort back into the mattress, eventually woke Vinnie. After what seemed forever, he called out to her "Charlie-girl, why don't you come and sleep here with me?"

Giving up the mattress war, Charlie grabbed her pillow and joined Vinnie on his bunk. He spooned her from behind, his back resting against the cell wall, one arm tightly wrapped round her waist and the other supporting her head. Thus surrounded by a wall of warm male flesh, Charlie was finally able to sleep. Her husband waited till he was sure she was asleep before continuing with his snoring.

The cell door being opened startled Charlie awake and she lifted her head from Vinnie's shoulder to peer blearily at the intruder.

"Rise and shine kiddies!" a smiling Jensen said. In each hand she carried a mug of steaming coffee and the smell wafted through the small cell.

Waving the cup under Vinnie's nose caused his nostrils to sniff spasmodically. Before his eyes were even open, his brain was already commanding his hand to reach out and accept the black goodness.

"I took a punt on how you might like it" Jensen said as she handed the spare mug to Charlie.

Charlie took a cautious sip and as the liquid flowed down her throat, warming her belly, she exhaled in appreciation. "Perfect!" she said, taking another sip.

Vinnie settled for a thumbs up as he was too busy guzzling his down to express his appreciation verbally.

"I'll let you finish that, just come out to the front when you're done and we'll get the paperwork out of the way and you'll be free to go" Jensen said, leaving the sleepy duo to wake up fully.

After rearranging his clothing and smoothing his fur down, Vinnie passed the time waiting for Charlie to finish by reading the graffiti on the walls.

"There was a young woman from Venus…" he read out loud and then stopped, his eyes growing wide.

Charlie chuckled at his expression, mentally finishing what the poem said. It was a rather clever, albeit lewd piece that didn't leave the mind too easily. She drained the mug, pulled her shoes on and told Vinnie she was ready to go.

Still blushing from the poem's contents, Vinnie followed his wife out and joined her at the front desk where, thankfully, Officer Merv was not on duty. Instead, Jensen showed them where to sign on the warning form, issued them with a copy and then pointed out where Sweetheart stood waiting. Several officers bid them good morning and one cheekily suggested a hotel room next time they were feeling romantic as they made their way out of the station.

The sunlight blinded their eyes temporarily until they could adjust to the extra lighting. Sweetheart purred happily at seeing them and revved her engine, clearly ready to get going. Once they were aboard, the red cycle didn't wait for instructions from her owner, but shot off for the Last Chance at break-neck speed. She rolled into the driveway, honking a salute to the waving Carbine and rolled into the garage repair area.

"The boys will be over for breakfast in a minute, we're getting hotdogs. Do you want any?" Carbine asked Charlie.

"I've got waffle mix if you want to have that instead" Charlie supplied helpfully.

"Waffles? I've never had those before. What are they like?" Carbine asked, interested at trying something new.

"Delicious. We'll need cream, berries, chocolate sauce and…." Charlie stopped talking when she saw the blank look on Carbine's face. Sighing, she ran her hand through her hair. "Tell you what, let the boys know we're having waffles and I'll go to the shops myself."

"Ask Throttle to pick it up. We need to get cleaned up!" Vinnie suggested to Carbine as she led the way inside the living room.

"Will he know what to get?" Carbine asked, unsure her beloved was capable of shopping for anything that didn't incorporate hotdog ingredients.

Charlie wrinkled her brow at the question. "Is that a trick question? I mean, it's Throttle after all, not Vinnie."

"Ha ha ha! You crack me up sweetheart" Vinnie replied sarcastically, slapping his wife's behind.

She growled and swung at him but he ruffled her hair into her eyes so she couldn't see and bolted from the living room to check on his motorbike. Seeing she hadn't suffered any harm from her overnight stay, he next checked the camera installed into Sweetheart's front.

"Did you get it all?" he asked the bike as he turned the camera display on.

Sweetheart beeped in confirmation and somehow managed to look embarrassed at the same time.

"I know Sweetheart, I'm sorry to put you through all that but you're the only one I could trust. Charlie-girl is the type that has to see it to believe it."

"See what to believe it?" Charlie asked from behind him.

Vinnie didn't turn to look at her, too busy skipping through the first few seconds of the footage. "Last night's adventures" he replied.

Charlie's brows shot up and she looked speechless. "I think getting arrested by the police was more than enough proof for me" she managed to finally say.

"I still think you should see it for yourself" Vinnie replied, waving her over to Sweetheart when he reached the point in the film he was looking for.

Hands in pockets, Charlie reluctantly came round Sweetheart's other side as Vinnie started the recording. At first there was only a picture of the park's grass and surroundings but their voices could be heard.

"_I don't want to ask Stoker. It's the most ridiculous, albeit highly entertaining, story you've ever come up with. Now, are you going to tell me what really happened?"_ Charlie said.

"_I guess I'm just going to have to prove it to you then_" Vinnie's voice replied.

"_Fine with me"_ Charlie chuckled on the film.

More conversation followed before the film Vinnie and Charlie finally put in a physical appearance.

The roar of bike engines signalled the arrival of Stoker, Modo and Throttle and a door slamming closed indicated Carbine had gone out meet the Martian males.

"I'll be back in a minute. I want to make sure the bros get the right chocolate sauce" Vinnie said to Charlie.

She only nodded vaguely, too engrossed in what was happening on the film to pay much notice to anything else around her.

Vinnie ran out to the front to greet his bros and Stoker. He ignored their rapid-fire questions as to what had happened last night, saying it was not something he felt like discussing at the moment and could they get the 'Richies Delicious' brand of chocolate sauce. He _pointedly_ ignored Stoker who was snickering behind his hand the whole time.

Carbine decided to leave her ride at the garage and settled behind Throttle, who's tail wrapped snugly round her waist and pulled her tighter against him.

"Is Charlie-ma'am ok?" Modo asked, noting the mechanic hadn't come out to meet them.

"She's fine. She's watching a…uh…love story" Vinnie finished lamely.

"Must be one hell of a love-story" Stoker remarked and leered at the white mouse.

"You have _no_ idea old-timer!" Vinnie replied, grinning despite himself.

"VINNIE! GET IN HERE!" Charlie bellowed from inside the garage.

All the mice winced as the female holler penetrated to their sensitive ear-drums.

"Better see what she wants before the morgue complains about the noise!" Vinnie said, turning to see what his beloved wanted to drag him over the coals for this time.

The other mice decided to get out of sight as quickly as possible, just in case they were next on the irate mechanic's list.

Vinnie ran inside and stopped short. Charlie was shaking her head at him, a shadow of a grin hovering round her lips.

"Is _that _even legal!" she asked him, pointing her finger at a paused piece of the film.

Seeing what she was pointing at, Vinnie turned beet red. "To be honest, I don't really know" he replied. "But fair's fair, you egged me on!" he added hastily in his defence.

"I noticed!" Charlie replied dryly, her smile turning into a grin. She soon grew sober though. "Vinnie, you need to destroy this tape and you most definitely need to get rid of those pills. They're dangerous!" she said, as she ejected the disc out of Sweetheart's camera.

To his credit, Vinnie only hesitated slightly, though he did look wistful when he tossed the disc in front of Sweetheart and ordered her to laser it. She complied with gusto, disc dust floating in a cloud in front of her.

"And the pills" Charlie said, holding out her hand.

Sighing, he pulled them out of his pants and tossed them to her. Turning sharply on her heel, Charlie went to the bathroom and tipped the pills down the toilet, watching to make sure every last one of them disappeared out of sight. Satisfied, she dropped the empty bottle into the kitchen garbage.

"Now what?" Vinnie asked from behind her, his hands tucked away in his pockets.

In answer, Charlie walked over and stood on tip-toes, catching his lips with her own. It was sweet and strangely seductive for such a short kiss.

"I don't know about you boy-scout, but I wouldn't mind trying _that_ again, without being under the influence of some kind of drug!" she said, grinning wickedly when she drew back.

Vinnie's eyebrows rose ever so slightly. "You're not under the influence of anything right now" he pointed out hopefully.

"Vinnie!" Charlie exclaimed, chuckling despite herself. "And this from the guy in Vegas who swore not to let me near him again!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you sweetheart? I have a _very_ short memory!" Vinnie said as he scooped her up into his arms.

The thrum of several motorcycle engines outside the garage door made him pause mid flight.

"Just great" he muttered as he put his wife down. Charlie had to laugh at his peeved expression.

Modo walked into the kitchen, his arms full of groceries.

"We're back" he announced unnecessarily and bent down to kiss Charlie on the top of her head.

"Did you get Richies Delicious?" Vinnie asked, trying to rummage through the grocery bags while Modo was still holding them.

Modo elbowed him out of the way and placed the bags on the counter.

"Thanks Modo. If anyone asks, Vinnie and I are going to have a quick shower and then we'll be down to cook. If you wouldn't mind mixing the batter that would be great" Charlie said, grabbing the white mouse by the arm and pushing him out of the kitchen. The smell of last night's escapades was growing stronger by the hour and she was itching to get cleaned up.

"Sure thing Charlie-ma'am" Modo said, picking up the box of waffle mix she had put on the counter for him. He peered intently at the directions, mumbling out loud as he read the instructions.

"Aw Charlie-girl, can't it wait? I'm starving!" Vinnie protested as she led him up the stairs.

"So what's new?" she replied sarcastically as she kicked open the bathroom door, grabbed two towels from the cupboard and locked the door.

"Are you going first?" Vinnie asked as he watched her strip off her tank-top.

"No" she replied, shimming out of her jeans.

"Then, am I going first?" he asked.

"No" Charlie replied as she made him lift his arms.

"Then who's going first?" Vinnie asked in confusion, as Charlie lifted his bandoleers up over his head.

"We are" she replied, unhooking his jeans and pulling them down his hips.

"Sweeetttheaarrrtt!" Vinnie drawled loudly, grinning gleefully as he lifted his feet to allow Charlie to pull his jeans all the way off.

Charlie shushed him reprovingly "Quiet Vinnie! The last thing I need is for the whole damn town to know about this."

She turned the taps on, alternating the hot and cold until the water temperature was to her satisfaction.

"Get in" she said as Vinnie finished pulling his boxers off. He stepped gingerly inside the tub, allowing the shower's warm spray to saturate his fur. Charlie finished undressing and followed him in, the shower-bath large enough to hold both of them comfortably.

"Let me do it!" he demanded, trying to snatch the soap bar out of Charlie's hand.

"I'm not a baby Vinnie, I can wash myself" she replied, keeping the soap bar out of his reach.

He made another grab for it and knocked her hand in the process, sending the soap bar sailing. It hit the shower curtain and slid down, leaving a trail of soap suds in its wake.

"I'll get it" they said in unison, bending down at the same time. Their heads collided, resulting in an equal amount of swearing in English and Martian.

"And mum and dad reckon showering together is romantic" Charlie declared in disgust, rubbing the sore spot on her head.

Vinnie succeeded in trapping the soap bar between his feet and tried to pick it up with one foot, but the soapy water on the shower floor had other ideas. He slipped, tried to stop himself falling by grabbing hold of Charlie but only succeeded in dragging her down on top of him as he crashed to the floor.

It was all too much for Charlie, who burst into hysterics.

"CHARLIE! ARE YOU OK? WE HEARD A LOUD BANG!" Carbine's worried voice could be heard through the bathroom door.

Charlie froze on top of Vinnie, putting her fingers to his lips to keep him quiet.

"I'M FINE HONEY, JUST A LITTLE ACCIDENT WITH THE SOAP" Charlie yelled back.

"OK. WILL YOU BE MUCH LONGER? MODO IS HAVING TO FEND THE BOYS OFF WITH A SPATULA!"

"I'LL BE DOWN IN FIVE MINUTES!" Charlie estimated, looking at Vinnie for confirmation. He nodded and moved his hands round the shower, digging blindly for the soap bar as Carbine's footsteps faded from the bathroom door.

"I guess the old adage, 'watch out when you bend down for the soap' applies on any planet" he remarked as his hand seized on the errant soap bar.

Charlie looked at him and started snickering.

At his confused look, she started laughing harder, burying her head in his chest to muffle the sound.

"Ookkkaayyy!" he remarked in confusion, the whole joke completely over his head.

He used the opportunity to soap any parts of Charlie he could reach, running his hands appreciatively over her body. She stilled as his hands caressed her back, the soothing massage easing out aches she didn't even know she had.

When he finished, she took the soap bar off him and returned the favour, enjoying the feel of his muscles moving under her hands.

"I think I've changed my mind, showering can be _very_ romantic" she whispered before she bent her head to kiss him gently.

Vinnie drew her closer but they were interrupted by a loud, protesting gurgle that lasted several seconds.

"Well, excusssseee me!" Charlie muttered to her stomach, causing Vinnie to grin.

"Hey, I'm with the stomach," he said, letting her go and slowly helping them both to stand. They kept a wary eye on the mischievous soap bar as they turned the water off and hopped out of the shower, shivering in the cool of the bathroom.

Vinnie wrapped Charlie in one of the towels before putting using the remaining one to dry himself off, shaking water out of his fur before slipping on his jeans, opting to go commando instead of putting on the same boxers.

"Watch out when you zip up" Charlie teased as she slipped out the door to finish getting dressed in her room.

Vinnie grimaced at the image she created in his head and was extra careful when he finished buttoning his jeans. He put his bandoleers back on but left his boots off. He checked to make sure the coast was clear and slipped out of the bathroom and down the stairs, carrying his boots in one hand, the soaked towel in the other. He threw the towel in the washing machine and put his boots by the garage entrance before wandering into the kitchen to find Modo and Carbine arguing with Stoker and Throttle.

"You two can wait like everyone else. Charlie will be down soon" Carbine said to the two mice leaders, doing her best to keep them away from the waffle batter which was being held aloft by Modo.

"Hungry, now!" Stoker declared, trying to tickle Modo while Throttle was edging round the other side, trying to keep Carbine occupied.

Vinnie ignored the hunger war and returned to his quest to find out whether his favourite chocolate sauce had made its way to the garage, or if he had to do without.

Charlie entered the kitchen, a towel wrapped turban-style round her forehead. "Ok boys, out of my kitchen!" she ordered, pointing to the door.

Relieved sighs from Carbine and Modo greeted this announcement, along with high fives from Stoker and Throttle.

"Home brand sauce! Who the hell picked this out?" Vinnie demanded, waving the offending bottle in Throttle's face.

"It's all the same Vincent" Throttle replied as Carbine and Charlie herded the men out of the kitchen.

"No its not! This stuff tastes like sh…."

The women didn't hear the rest of the conversation as the kitchen door closed and cut out the men's voices.

"Finally, peace and quiet!" Carbine sighed. "They're worse than a bunch of kids sometimes."

"Hyperactive kids" Charlie remarked as she turned the waffle machine on.

Working as a team, the two women soon had a large pile of waffles made, coffee boiled and the table set for six.

"Come and get it!" Charlie yelled through the door, banging a tin pot with a wooden spoon.

The male Martians piled through the door like a footy scrum and settled in chairs, eyeing the waffle pile expectantly. Vinnie reached out to grab one but Charlie rapped him across the knuckles with the wooden spoon.

"Wait your turn" Charlie said sternly, as she dished out two waffles on to each plate.

The cream, berries and sauce was passed round the table, along with mugs of black coffee until everyone had theirs.

"Buon appetite!" Charlie wished them.

The Martian bros paused, several forks hovering near mouth holes. Clearing their throats in embarrassment, they put their forks down, bowed their heads and muttered '_Amen_'.

Stoker and Carbine looked confused before hastily following suit, being unfamiliar with the religious customs of earth.

Charlie's jaw dropped open and closed several times. She was tempted to explain but doubted it would make much difference to the Martians. She stuck a piece of berry coated waffle in her mouth and tried hard not to giggle at the scene she had just witnessed.

Talk resumed only when the pile of waffles had disappeared, thanks mostly to the hearty appetite of all the male mice and one equally determined female general.

"So what's on the cards for today?" Charlie asked the group, leisurely sipping her coffee.

"Going to get that sample you wanted from Limburger's tower" Modo said matter-of-factly.

"Sounds like fun" Charlie said. "When do we leave?"

"Sorry Charlie-girl, but no wife of mine is going anywhere near that tower!" Vinnie declared without thinking.

Charlie and Carbine froze, Stoker's eyebrows shot straight up into the air, Modo dropped his knife with a clang and Throttle spat out the mouthful of coffee he had been about to swallow.

Vinnie suddenly found himself the centre of some very unwanted attention as several pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Vinnie! You weren't supposed to say anything!" Charlie protested.

"You never told me you got hitched!" Stoker said accusingly, not happy that Vinnie had hidden something so juicy from him.

"You got married and didn't tell us? I thought we were bros!" Modo harrumphed, looking very upset.

"Nice one" Carbine snickered, finding his predicament highly enjoyable.

Throttle was the only one at the table who hadn't said a word since his mouthful of coffee had found its way back into his cup. But now, the tan leader stood and loomed over his younger brother.

"Is this true? Did you and Charlie get married, or did you charm your way into her pants?" Throttle asked in a low voice edged with steel.

Vinnie searched desperately through his mind for an explanation but Charlie answered for him.

"No man has ever charmed his way into my pants without my consent Throttle" Charlie said, standing by her husband's side. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner but I panicked. I didn't want you to think that it was all Vinnie's idea. Can you forgive us?" she pleaded quietly, bravely deflecting the blame aimed at Vinnie onto herself.

Throttle kept his stern expression of disapproval for a while longer as he pretended to think about what he had been told, but his insides were doing the Macarena with gusto.

"_FINALLY!"_ his inner voice yelled with glee, happy to see that all his and Modo's planning had finally brought the ignorant duo together. He was heartily sick of them pretending they didn't care for each other as deeply as they did.

"Charlie-girl, I can honestly say that I'm not happy about this…" he said.

Charlie's face was crestfallen at this announcement while Vinnie looked ready to punch his leader in the gut.

"I'M ECSTATIC!" Throttle crowed and seized his new sister-in-law into a bear hug.

He gave her a hearty smack on the lips and then seized his white-furred bro by the ears and repeated the gesture, knuckling him in the forehead when Vinnie tried to wrestle out of his grip.

Grinning widely, Modo swept Charlie up into a gentle hug and congratulated her, passing her over to Stoker while he slapped Vinnie on the back.

"So, are you going to tell us when, where and how this happened?" Throttle asked, his arm round Carbine.

"Sure, while you boys do the dishes" Charlie replied dryly, smiling in relief at their acceptance of the whole situation.

"That's not hero work" Modo said but grinned to show he was only joking. He stood up to help the other men clean up breakfast, while Charlie finally got the chance to tell her adopted brothers what Carbine and Stoker mostly already knew.

"I've still got presents for you guys" Vinnie said once the dishes were finished, suddenly remembering the gifts he had forgotten in all the excitement of the past few days.

"Ooh! Me too!" Charlie announced, slapping her forehead at her forgetfulness. "But they're in Vinnie's bag back at Quigley field. We'll go get them."

Vinnie and Charlie promised to be back soon and left on Sweetheart while the others retired to the living room.

"Dibs on the remote" Carbine announced, grabbing it and settling full-length on the sofa.

"Please, no chick flicks Carbines" Stoker begged, dropping down into the armchair.

Carbine snorted. "Chick flicks? You forget who you're talking to old timer!" she replied, selecting a spaghetti western with English subtitles.

Modo and Throttle settled on either end of the sofa, serving as luxury cushions for the reclining General.

"Bro, they've been gone for an hour. It doesn't take that long to get to Quigley and back" Modo rumbled worriedly from one end of the sofa. He was busy massaging Carbine's feet, having been lured with the promise of a foot massage by Carbine, _if_ she got one first.

Throttle glanced over to him and shrugged. "Give it another fifteen minutes" he said, playing with Carbine's hair. "They've probably stopped off for something on the way back."

Modo wasn't completely convinced, but he trusted his leader and let the matter drop. After fifteen minutes had passed, the niggling feeling that something wasn't quite right got the better of him and he moved Carbine's feet off his lap as he stood up.

"I'm going to check on them" he announced, moving purposely toward the garage.

"Modo, they'll be back soon" Throttle said, surprised by his grey bro's insistence.

A screech of tyres and a loud anxious honking came from outside the garage. Modo bolted from the living room and ran out the front door.

Sweetheart stopped blaring her horn when she saw the Martian and raced toward him, rubbing herself fretfully against him.

"Woah little lassie. What's got into you? Where's Vinnie and Charlie?" he asked, trying to settle the motorcycle down.

In answer, Sweetheart activated her camera and what appeared on the screen chilled Modo's blood.

"THROTTLE!" he bellowed, clenching his fists in barely-contained rage.


	8. Chapter 8

Throttle came pounding out toward him, laser drawn. Carbine and Stoker too came outside, their lasers held aloft to cover him.

"What is it big-fella?" Throttle asked, putting his laser back in its sheath when he saw Modo was unharmed.

Modo pointed to Sweetheart's camera and asked her to replay the footage she had just shown him.

The camera angle was lopsided, as Sweetheart had clearly been lying on the ground when she had started recording.

"Vinnie!" Charlie's shrill scream pierced the air.

A large mountain of human flesh appeared, dripping a black liquid as it carried the squirming mechanic under one arm. When she tried to fight her way out his grasp he smacked her head hard enough to stun her, her head snapping back with the impact of his fist.

Greasepit was issuing orders to several goons, two of which dragged an unconscious Vinnie between them.

"Hurry up youse goons, before the other rodents show up!" he ordered curtly, tossing Charlie in when Vinnie had been dumped in the rear of a truck.

Carbuncle wandered into view, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

"At last, I can create the ultimate weapon that those mice won't be able to resist!" he declared, cackling happily to himself as he climbed into the passenger side of the truck.

Greasepit wandered over to the fallen Sweetheart and gave her front a hearty kick that caused her to slide several feet away from him.

"Not so tough now are you, you over-rated scooter!" he spat and turned back to the truck.

The recording ended, leaving a quiet hush in its wake.

Everyone stood waiting, looking expectantly at Throttle, but for once, the mouse leader was at a loss in formulating a plan to rescue Charlie and Vinnie. Their last attempt on the tower had been completely unsuccessful. Neither their bikes, nor any of their weaponry could leave as much as a scratch on the building.

"I don't know big guy, I really don't know" Throttle said helplessly.

Modo frowned, not willing to believe it may be the last time he would see Vinnie and Charlie. "There's _got_ to be a way in there!" he said fiercely.

"What about crashing the ship into it?" Stoker asked helpfully.

"Won't make a difference, our bikes are made from the same alloy as the ship" Throttle said, racking his brain to think of something, _anything_ that would work.

"The secret tunnel!" Modo said suddenly, his lone eye glowing red with excitement.

"Good idea big guy" Throttle said approvingly, whistling their bikes out from the garage.

"If the tower is as well guarded as you both say it is, there's no way that the tunnel will be undefended" Carbine said before the boys could finish climbing on their bikes.

They paused, legs held mid-swing over the bike seats.

"Aw crap!" Stoker swore. "She's right. So what do you suggest then Carbs?"

"Takeaway" Carbine replied.

"Don't you think we should try and rescue them before we have dinner?" Throttle asked, surprised by his fiancé's appetite.

"We can't blast our way in, we can't smash our way in and we can't sneak our way in, so let's go through the front door" Carbine said with a conspiratal wink.

Modo's frown of worry changed to an enlightened grin. "What sort of takeaway is a stink-fish going to go for?"

"Worms!" all four mice yelled in unison.

But where from?" Stoker asked out loud, mulling the problem over in his mind.

"Easy, we find out who Limburger's supplier on earth is and we get together a nice little meal for cheese-breath" Carbine replied. "But before we can do that, we've got some Intel to gather" she said as she climbed onto her bike.

With Carbine's idea firmly entrenched in his mind, Throttle was able once more to return to the job he was best at. Taking control, he started issuing directions to the other mice.

"Carbine, you and Stoker head to Chef Andy's and let him know what's happened. See if he knows anyone in the fishing industry that supplies to Limburger Enterprises. Modo and I are going to _muscle in_ on one of the bars his goons frequent. We'll find out what's going on with that tower!"

Carbine nodded, slammed her helmet down and took off, confident Stoker could keep up with her.

"LET'S ROCK AND RIDE!" Throttle hollered in tandem with Modo as the two brothers drove in the direction of the Catanonian Bar.

The two brother arrived at the bar and walked in, their bodies rigid with adrenalised anger. Throttle's eyes scanned the crowd, trying to identify anyone that looked like one of Limburger's goons.

"Can't see any bro" Modo said in disappointment, his height giving him an advantage his tan brother didn't have.

"The grease stain and his flunkies should be here by now. They're usually drowning the last of their brain cells by sixish!" Throttle said, growling in frustration. "I'll ask the barman" he said, moving purposely toward the bar counter.

The male bartender greeted them and asked them what their poison would be.

"We're looking for someone" Throttle told him, waving aside the offer of a drink.

"Can't says I can help you, but I'll try" the friendly bartender said.

"Big guy, drips oil, not very smart. Or one of his pony-tailed friends."

At this announcement, the bartender's face changed from friendly to downright hostile.

"Sorry gents, can't help you!" he said, and turned his back on the mice.

Modo's eye blazed red and he moved forward, ready to yank the bartender over the counter and illicit the information from him, with or without violence!

"Easy big guy!" Throttle said, putting his arm out to stop his grey bro from pummelling his way through the bar's patrons. "We're not going to get any help like this. We'll try the Dog's Breath instead."

Throttle turned round and found his way barred by a large biker and a good portion of the bar's inhabitants.

"If you're friends of that pathetic oilspill and his monkeys, I suggest you leave now and never come back here!" the large biker rumbled.

The crowd behind him nodded in agreement and several hand-held weapons, including brass knuckles, base-ball bats and chains were brought out for the mice to see.

Throttle could see the hostility radiating off the crowd and decided honesty would be the best policy if he and his bro wanted to live to see another day.

"Greasepit and his like aren't friends of ours. My apologies for any misunderstandings" he said smoothly, his husky voice calm and level.

The large biker stepped closer and looked Throttle up and down, doing the same to Modo before his face split into a grin.

"Do you know a guy named Vinnie?" asked the biker.

Throttle's cautious nature made him pause but his gut instinct told him he could trust this massive human.

"Yes, he looks like us but he has white fur" Throttle replied.

"And his girlfriend's name is Charlie" the biker finished for him.

"You know them?" Modo asked eagerly, barely able to contain his excitement.

The biker nodded. "I drive a taxi during the day and I dropped them off at the airport when they were on their way to Vegas. Nice couple, if a tad thick about admitting they were sweet on each other!"

"I'll say" Throttle muttered in agreement and Modo had to swallow a smile at his leader's uncharacteristic outspokenness.

"So what's happened to your friend and his woman?" the biker asked.

"Greasepit's boss has kidnapped them and we were looking to get them out" Throttle said.

The biker nodded thoughtfully. "Name's Big Ned" he said, holding his hand out to Throttle.

"Throttle, and this is Modo" Throttle said, shaking his hand. Modo did the same and was impressed by the beefy human's grip.

"Nice to meet ya's. Whatever you need to get your bro and Charlie out, you got it. We ain't no friends of Greasepit ourselves!" Big Ned said and the crowd behind him laughed in appreciation of the joke.

Before Throttle could answer, his cell phone rang and he excused himself as he answered it.

"Throttle, we're in luck!" Carbine's excited voice greeted him. "Chef Andy knows the guy who provides the worms to Limburger. He says the next shipment is due for delivery tomorrow, sometime in the mid-afternoon."

"Nice job Carbine. Limburger will be getting a delivery tomorrow alright, but there'll be an unsuspected plague….of mice!" Throttle replied. "Meet us back at the Last Chance in an hour. We've met some unknown friends of Charlie and Vinnie and they want to help out."

The connection was cut as Carbine hung up on her end and Throttle returned the phone to his pocket.

"I'm guessing that you have a plan already in the making judging from that call" Big Ned observed.

Throttle nodded, his mind absently piecing together the strategy that would get them inside and ensure there were no casualties for the good guys.

"If we get hold of the truck that does the delivery, we can swap the contents for ourselves, get inside and rescue Charlie and Vinnie" he said. "But getting through the front door is going to be the hardest part. Delivery Mice aren't exactly normal these days!"

"No, but human delivery personnel wouldn't raise an eyebrow" pointed out Big Ned. "A couple of the boys and I will get you inside, while my people keep the rest of the goons busy elsewhere."

"Better make sure it's an extra large serve of worms" pointed out a young biker standing next to Big Ned. "Modo isn't exactly sample-sized!"

Everyone including Modo laughed at the joke, until two of the female patrons mentioned about doing a little Modo sampling themselves, which caused the tall biker to blush his trademark crimson red.

"Nobody's sampling anything!" Big Ned rumbled, feeling sorry for the Martian's discomfort. "These are our friends, and you'll treat them with proper respect" he said, particularly to a middle-aged blonde biker who was eyeing both mice with interest.

When the female groans of disappointment had died down, Big Ned said something that caused chills to run up and down the Martians' spines.

"One thing you should know, word on the street is that it aint Limburger in charge no more. Some ugly chick that goes by the name of an Italian cheese is in charge now."

"Romana Parmagana!" Modo whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah, that's it!" Big Ned said, pleased someone knew what he was talking about.

"She'll be dead meat" Throttle said.

"Who? Charlie?" asked Big Ned, not liking the thought of something happening to the elfin-like mechanic.

"Actually, I meant Romana. Last time they met, Romana made some nasty comment to Charlie that had her fuming for days. Our feisty mechanic will tear her eyes out if she gets the chance!"

Throttle spent the next ten minutes filling Big Ned's gang in on what had happened in their first encounter with Romana Parmagana and Jack McCyber. At the mention of Jack's name, the young biker next to Big Ned straightened up and an intrigued gleam appeared in his eye, vanishing just as quickly when Modo glanced his way.

Throttle also used the opportunity to outline what he needed from Big Ned and his gang.

"Alright lads, and of course ladies" Big Ned said, acknowledging the female bikers. "Hit the sack early, I want you fresh for pummelling goons tomorrow" he ordered.

The bar gradually emptied as Big Ned's gang headed off for some shut-eye, while the biker mice and Big Ned and the young biker, plus one other member of the gang headed to the Last Chance to finalise plans with Carbine and Stoker.

Satisfied with the workings, Throttle called it a night and the humans left for their own homes, while the Martian males settled down in the Last Chance living room. Carbine preferred to sleep in her own bed, where her worries wouldn't keep the others awake. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, she gave up trying to sleep and went downstairs, intending to go for a walk to clear her head.

"Carbine?" Throttle's voice whispered from the couch.

Carbine tippy-toed over to the couch and looked down at her handsome fiancé's features.

"Can't sleep" she explained in a whisper, running her hands through her hair in frustration.

Throttle didn't say anything, just held his arms out to her, inviting her to join him. Carbine crawled quietly onto the couch and settled herself in his arms, resting her head on his chest. The rise and fall of his chest soon settled her and she drifted off, safe and secure in the embrace of the mouse she loved most in the universe.

Around lunchtime the next day, Big Ned returned with his two companions and the plan was put into effect, much to the relief of all involved.


	9. Chapter 9

_**PLANET EARTH, LIMBURGER TOWER**_

Vinnie woke groggily, his eyes resisting the effort to open them.

"Charlie?" he called out weakly, his throat croaky from lack of water.

"She'll be here shortly" a female voice replied.

Vinnie's eyes finally opened and he turned his head to the side, trying to identify where he was, and who the voice belonged to. The room was familiar to him somehow, as was the voice.

The short, bulky shape of a Plutarkian moved closer, grinning greedily down at him.

"I see my new investment has finally awoken" the female stink-fish said.

"Romana Parmagana!" Vinnie croaked in horror.

The Plutarkian was pleased that the Martian remembered her.

"Vincent Van Wham. Welcome to Parmagana Inc., formerly Limburger Enterprises" Romana replied. "You certainly _do_ have an interesting reaction to the human drug 'Appramendosa' don't you!"

Vinnie's eyes widened and he groaned.

"Please tell me you haven't given me any!" he pleaded, frantically looking round in case a highly aroused Charlie decided to put in an appearance.

The Plutarkian started laughing, which was the last reaction he expected..

"Don't worry rodent. All the necessary testing was done while you were kept under sedation. Carbuncle has secreted enough from your body for experimentation, modification and replication" Romana assured him.

"Sedation? Just how long have I been here? " Vinnie demanded, outrage at being used as a guinea pig overcoming his initial fear.

"Twenty four hours, give or take. Plenty of time to do all that was needed."

"Hey, what happened to the stink-fish?" he asked curiously, finally noting Greasepit and the several armed goons standing attentively round the room. They were dressed practically for once, armour of Plutarkian design clothing their bodies. There was even the suggestion of intelligence in their eyes as they watched him like hawks.

"By stink-fish I presume you mean Limburger. He's bringing your precious mechanic" Romana sneered, showing her distaste of the male Plutarkian.

Sure enough, as soon as she had finished speaking, the door to the lab opened and in walked a smiling Carbuncle, followed by a seething Limburger, who was dragging Charlie along by her wrists. Two goons followed, their lasers pointed as much in Limburger's direction as they were in Charlie's.

Seeing her husband alive and awake, Charlie cried his name with relief, trying to escape from Limburger's grasp. Limburger yanked her back cruelly and tightened his grip. Vinnie growled at him and struggled against his restraints, trying to get to his mate.

Carbuncle handed a spray bottle and a small tube of gel serum to Romana and bobbed in deference when she praised his efforts in producing what she wanted.

"This particular strain of the spray ensures that the target will only react to your voice and no other person" Carbuncle explained as she examined the bottle.

"Shall we give it a little test run?" she asked him, spraying it Limburger's face.

"Limburger, give the female to Greasepit and sit on the floor!" she ordered and watched as the Plutarkian male's eyes glazed over. Without hesitation, he shoved Charlie at Greasepit and sat eagerly at Romana's feet, waiting for the next order.

"Bark like a dog" Romana said.

Limburger began barking madly.

"How long does the effect last?" Romana asked, impressed with the results of the spray.

"Between twenty to thirty minutes, depending on the resistant strength of the recipient" Carbuncle replied. "The primal scent spray has been diluted enough to allow for responsive function of the recipient, without the overwhelming aphrodisiac effect of the original secretion, which I have also produced into a gel serum for any more involved jobs you may require!"

"Well done doctor. I commend your attention to detail" Roman said, clapping the blushing scientist on the back.

"Your contributions to my private research have been most generous your aromaticness! I can not do enough to show my gratitude!" Carbuncle replied, bobbing up and down like a buoy.

"Yes, I heard of your abominable treatment at Limburger's hands. It's a surprise you didn't mutate him into a giant rabbit or some such creature" Roman commented, wrinkling her nose at the pathetically eager to please male Plutarkian awaiting her merest wish.

Carbuncle's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward toward Limburger. "I never thought of that before your creamy centeredness. But I could always make up for lost time!" he growled in a high-pitched voice.

"Later my clever doctor, later" Romana said reassuringly, before grinning maliciously at Limburger and pointing to a glass window. "Jump out of that window!" she ordered Limburger

Vinnie gasped and Charlie screamed at Romana to stop but the female Plutarkian only laughed as Limburger rushed toward the window. Carbuncle looked pale and Greasepit started sucking his thumb, genuinely upset at his new employer's display of cruelty.

Limburger took a large leap and threw himself at the window, smashing into it. Charlie closed her eyes, too upset to look but opened them when the room erupted into laughter. She saw Limburger lying dazed on the floor, several goons prodding him to get up.

"You missed the show troller!" Roman said to her and ordered Limburger to get up and throw himself at the window again.

He complied, leaping at the window and hitting it with all his fat. The window resisted and bounced him backwards onto the floor. More laughter greeted the second incidence and even Charlie had to grin at the normally elegant Plutarkian being pounded by a window.

"Mouse-proof shielding" Romana commented idly. "Something my idiot rival never thought to install. Really Limburger, your tower is trashed more times than I care to remember and you go and build the same lousy design over and over. I wonder your mother didn't eat you in sheer disgust when you were just a glob of caviar!"

Limburger only watched her in adoration, lapping up every word she tossed his way as if it was the greatest gift he would ever receive.

Before Romana could order Limburger to do anything else to harm himself, a chime sounded and the downstairs secretary's voice could be heard over the com.

"Excuse me Ms Parmagana, but there's a delivery here for Lawrence Limburger. Should I have it sent back?"

"Yes, send it back. No…wait….find out what it is first" Romana replied over the com.

A moment or two passed while the secretary checked with the delivery guys what was in the crate.

"The company is called Organic Earth, it's paid for and all, they deliver it each month" the secretary said.

"What is the delivery for, Limburger?" Romana asked the male Plutarkian.

"My worms!" he cried eagerly, "My beautiful worms!"

Limburger licked his lips in anticipation and watched his mistress, hoping she would share them with him.

Romana's eyes lit up with greed at this news.

"Celia, have it brought up here to the office" she told the secretary, rubbing her hands at the prospect of a treat she would not have to pay for.

"Yes Ms Parmagana….you can go up now, tenth floor" the secretary could be heard saying before she cut the com.

"Boss, what about the prisoners?" asked one of the goons, eyeing Charlie with keen interest. "Can we try out some of that aphro-juice the doc was talking about? Me and the boys been wanting to teach a lesson to this fine piece of ass for a long time!" he said, smirking at Charlie. "

"An interesting idea minion. What do you think, Carbuncle?" Romana asked the skinny scientist.

Carbuncle scratched his over-sized forehead and looked thoughtful. "I don't see why not your cheddary cheesiness. I have not tested the serum in a human/human situation and would be interested in the results myself."

Before the serum could be administered to a struggling Charlie, the elevator doors opened and out stepped a heavy-set fellow with long sideburns, beer-gut and tattoos running the length of his arms. Charlie's eyes widened but she kept her mouth shut, especially when the delivery man gave her a long, hard look.

"Where ya want da package ma'am?" the delivery man asked nonchalantly, toothpick working its way round his mouth.

"Oh, anywhere" Romana said, waving abstractly at the room in general.

The delivery man turned round and pulled at the mini-trailer holding the large carton. Another hefty looking fellow and a man in his late teens pushed from behind and between the three of them they got the carton off the trailer and smack-bang in the middle of the floor.

"Ya want I should open it for ya ma'am?" asked the lead delivery man, pulling a jimmy bar out from the trailer.

"Yes do" Romana agreed, circling the carton like a buzzard at a kill.

While the lead man worked at getting the top of the carton off, the other members of the group moved into various positions round the room, idly making comments to their supervisor on how best to get the stubborn carton open.

"Shaddup youse lot!" he barked at them. "I knows how ta get da lid off!"

"Aw come off it Ned, ya couldn't get ya missus' bra off in da daytime!" one of them quipped, to general laughter from the goons.

"Ya better watch yaself Hamish, or your head is gonna be da next thing I open with dis!" he said, waving the bar threateningly at the cheeky offsider.

"I don't think his missus' bra has come off for some time now, he's grumpier than a damn cat in heat!" the youngest of the trio said loudly enough for all to hear.

"Awright, dat does it, I've put up with youse and your smartass comments all day!" Ned bellowed, hefting the bar and moving menacingly toward the one called Hamish.

The youngest delivery man wasn't going to be left out and leapt into the fray.

Laughing, the goons egged them on, yelling "fight, fight, fight!" while Romana demanded they stop their immature behaviour at once and finish opening the crate so she could sample the contents. Greasepit's grip on Charlie slackened slightly as he too got caught up in the brawl between the delivery guys and he started chuckling, glad he wasn't the one getting beaten to a pulp for a change.

Carbuncle analysed the three men's behaviour, impressed by the sheer lack of brain over brawn. "They would make excellent goons, your nefariousness" he pointed out to Romana as she stood fuming at the chaos before her.

"I don't care, I want my worms!" she shouted.

"Want worms too!" Limburger howled right alongside her. "Want now!"

The three delivery men had a choker-hold round each other's throats and the goons and Greasepit surrounded them, Charlie and Vinnie mostly forgotten.

The scene looked set to escalate except for the crate suddenly bursting apart. Four large mice landed on their feet, lasers drawn. They quickly scanned the room and went into action without a moment's hesitation.

The gray one shot through the restraints holding Vinnie down and helped him off the table. The only female mouse leapt in tandem with a tan-furred mouse as they launched themselves at Greaspit. One, two, three, four punches later and the hulking oil stain slipped unconscious to the floor, releasing Charlie into the custody of her rescuers. The remaining male mouse howled with glee and started into the goons, indiscriminately punching and kicking whatever came to hand.

The delivery men, seeing the signal they had been waiting for, broke apart and helped the older mouse dispatch the goons. Big Ned roared with gusto as he knocked two of the goons together and threw a third one into the air for Hamish to deal with.

Within minutes the only people standing were the biker mice from mars, Charlie, Big Ned and his friends and a very worried looking Romana Parmagana and Carbuncle.

Oh, and Limburger, who was still bemoaning the lack of worms available at the current time.

Modo kept his arm cannon trained on the Plutarkians and Carbuncle, while the rest of the group hog-tied Greasepit and the goons so they couldn't get free.

"Thanks for your help" Throttle said, clapping Big Ned on the shoulder and nodding to the other men.

"I'm hardly going too let someone hurt friends of mine!" Big Ned rumbled, glaring at the female Plutarkian. "Are you guys ok?" he asked Charlie and Vinnie, who were embracing each other as if their life depended on it.

They separated long enough to thank their rescuers, hugging Big Ned in a double bear-hug that left him almost breathless.

They shook hands with Hamish and his young friend, a biker by the name of Josh McCyber.

"Josh McCyber? You're Jack's nephew!" Charlie said.

The youngster grinned and wiped the brown locks out of his face. "You know Uncle Jack? Then you must be Charlene!" he said excitedly, moving forward to embrace her.

"Sure am" Charlie replied softly, returning the embrace. She had a feeling she was going to like this young man, quite a lot.

Vinnie snickered. "Does your uncle know his old flame is in town?"

Josh looked embarrassed. "We don't talk much."

"Why's that Josh, if you don't mind me asking?" Charlie asked, wondering what could have possibly caused a rift between the two men.

Josh's face hardened. "Cos he can be the biggest ass in town! He said I was too young to be in a motorcycle group!" he replied, teenage angst oozing out of his tone.

Vinnie slipped his arm round the teenager's shoulders. "Josh, you're never too young to be a biker at heart!" he said warmly, giving the younger man's shoulders a squeeze.

"Hear, hear!" the group agreed, causing Josh's face to go pink with delight.

"You even blush like a biker" Charlie teased, grinning at his discomfort.

"I reckon this boy's got Van Wham blood in his veins!" Vinnie said approvingly. "He's got the freedom fighter spirit, he knows how to rumble like the baddest mammajammer in the galaxy and most of all, he knows his uncle is an ass."

"Vinnie!" Charlie yelled at him, scolding him for being a bad example to Josh.

Both Josh and Vinnie looked at her coolly, as if the matter of Jack being an ass was a foregone conclusion and wasn't open to debate by intelligent people.

"She always like that?" Josh asked him, surprised by the mechanic's attack on his new friend.

"Yep, wouldn't have her any other way!" Vinnie said, smiling proudly as his wife fired up, and then wound down toward the end of the spiel. He had learnt to mentally tune out when she was like this. Listening to Charlie's expectations of him would try a saint, which he had never claimed to be.

"What do we do with the stink-fishes and the chrome dome?" Modo interrupted Charlie, his arm growing tired from holding it up so long.

"The cops should be here shortly to arrest them for kidnapping Charlie and Vinnie. I had some one of the boys call them as soon as we got clearance to go upstairs" Big Ned said, pulling his borrowed laser out so Modo could have a break.

"Someone has to destroy Carbuncle's lab. He's being doing experiments on us and we can't let any of it to fall into the authorities hands" Vinnie said to Throttle.

"We'll take care of it" Carbine volunteered, handing a laser to Charlie. The two women headed to Carbuncle's lab and spent a merry few minutes blasting the place to smithereens, before rejoining the men upstairs.

"Secure them big fella" Throttle said to Modo but before he could do more than tie Carbuncle, he felt a hand on his shoulder, restraining him from going any further.

"Just a sec bro, got a farewell gift for the stink-fish here" Vinnie said, pulling a tube out of his back pocket. He held it up and grinned when Romana turned a pale shade of green. Limburger was still too dopey to realise what was in the tube and just looked dully at the white mouse.

"Have fun, stink-fish!" he said, taking the lid off the tube and squirting a good proportion of gel on Limburger.

"I'll get you for this rodent!" Romana squealed in outrage but she didn't have a chance to attack Vinnie as the serum started working. While Modo tied her, she suddenly found herself decidedly interested in the handsome Plutarkian male sitting next to her. She felt a hot desire flood her body and she growled hungrily, licking her lips in appreciation at the scent coming off Limburger.

"We'd better get moving, this is gonna get really ugly soon!" Vinnie said, herding his friends toward the lift.

"What was in the tube?" Stoker asked.

"Something I thought Romana might like to try out for herself!" Vinnie said, winking at his wife.

Squished into the elevator, the five mice and four humans had a rather uncomfortable ride as the elevator descended to the ground floor and they squeezed out into the foyer. Several police officers were standing at the ready, weapons drawn.

"Hands up!" one of them shouted at the group and several pairs of arms were put in the air.

There was a pause and then, "Mrs Van Wham, is that you?" the same voice asked.

"Officer Murphy?" Charlie asked incredously. "What are you doing here? And where's Officer Cassidan?"

"Cassidan's off duty at the moment. But as to what I'm doing here, I could ask you the same question young lady. You certainly seem to enjoy being in the centre of a lot of mischief!" the kind officer said in amusement, sheathing his weapon.

"Not really but when you're married to a Van Wham, you get dragged kicking and screaming into the middle of it" Charlie replied dryly, glad to see the policeman.

"You got married!" Big Ned asked in surprise.

"Sure did, it was a bit of a surprise to both of us" Charlie said, grinning at the big biker.

Congratulations were offered by Hamish and Josh as well and several officers, hearing the news, offered their own hearty salutations.

"Uh, I hate to break up the party, but shouldn't we be arresting the kidnappers Sir?" a female officer asked, reluctantly tearing her gaze away from Modo's muscular outline.

"Good point Jensen. Take the boys with you and make sure they cover all the exits" Murphy replied, motioning seven more officers forward.

"I wouldn't go up there for a few hours" Vinnie suggested.

"Nonsense Vinnie, they're all tied up, no threat to the officers" Throttle reminded him.

"Don't say I didn't warn you" Vinnie replied, and spying Sweetheart waiting out the front, secured his wife to his side and walked jauntily out of the building.

The other mice excused themselves and followed, Big Ned and his boys bringing up the rear. Their bikes were also waiting out the front and all the bikers, mice and men, left in a roar of engines, heading for the Last Chance.

Murphy watched them go, wishing he could do the same thing and head home to his wife and a hot meal. Sighing, he ordered the remaining troopers to search the rest of the building and secure the premises.

His radio crackled and a female voice called out his name.

"Go Jensen" he said, confirming he was ready for her report.

"Sir…the white mouse was right, we should have waited for a few hours!" Jensen said, sounding sick to her stomach. Several other people could be heard retching in the background as their stomachs rebelled at what they were seeing.

"What is it, Jensen?" Murphy asked.

"You'll have to see for yourself sir, ain't no way I'm going to describe it to you" Jensen replied, before giving in to the heaves herself.

Swearing under his breath, Murphy unclipped his gun and bolted to the elevator, frantically pushing the button to the tenth floor. He bobbed back and forth on his toes, impatiently pushing the button in the vain hope it would make the elevator go any faster. The elevator finally arrived at its destination and the doors chimed as they opened.

A young police officer stumbled towards him, his hand clutched over his mouth as he approached Murphy.

"Sir, it's horrible!" the junior officer said, before bursting into tears.

Murphy patted the youngster on the shoulder awkwardly.

"Come on lad, get yourself together" Murphy encouraged, sighing inwardly at what was turning out to be a very long day.

Several more officers emerged. Many of them looked close to tears themselves, including Jensen.

"Sir, they're in there" she said, pointing to further back in the room.

Murphy kept his gun unholstered and moved toward the sounds coming from the back of the room.

As he approached, he could make out two voices, one male and one female.

"Madam, I insist you stop this at once!" the male said indignantly.

A loud growl of disagreement met this statement and there was the sound of a chair breaking.

"For the love of all that is sane, PUT ME DOWN!"

"HELLLLPPPPP!" the male screamed and Murphy bolted forward, gun held ready to defend the poor man from whatever cruel torment was being imposed upon him.

And for the rest of his life he wished he hadn't. During all the sessions with his psychologist, he often expressed his disappointment at not having listened to Vinnie. For the image of two fat, green and smelly Plutarkians in the throes of induced lust was never, ever, going to leave his mind!


	10. Chapter 10

_**PLANET EARTH, LAST CHANCE GARAGE**_

Big Ned and his gang joined the Biker Mice crew for an impromptu barbecue and beer bash at the Last Chance, Charlie's way of saying thank you for their part in her and Vinnie's rescue.

Word soon spread through the bikie grape vine and before long, the party had swollen in size and spilled out into the street. Charlie's neighbours chose to not only tolerate the loud heavy metal music blaring out of several speakers positioned strategically for the crowd's enjoyment, but _insisted_ on joining the party. More barbecues were fired up and more radios tuned in to Sweet Georgie Brown's evening session.

Chef Andy was alerted to Charlie's safe return and raced over to see for himself, only detouring to the liquor store to fill his van to the brim with a variety of alcoholic beverages and soft drinks to supplement the nearly exhausted supply at the Last Chance. His arrival was greeted with great enthusiasm and he was proclaimed the hero of the night as eager hands set to emptying the van's contents.

Closer to midnight, Stoker had been hunted down by the insistent blonde biker from Big Ned's gang, and convinced to check out her bike. She had used the opportunity to abscond with her willing catch and they hadn't returned until several hours later. Stoker wore a silly grin for the rest of the night and appeared generally dazed.

The party wound down in the early hours of the morning and the red-eyed crowd dispersed to nurse their headaches, though some quite happily set up camp where they fell.

Modo had used his sheer size and bulk to claim the sofa, falling asleep with two young beauties snuggled against him for warmth. Later inspection revealed it to be Officer Jensen and a girlfriend who had been sent by Murphy to make sure the party didn't get of hand. They were so dedicated to their job that they _insisted_ on keeping an eye on things even during their off-duty hours.

Carbine invited Throttle and Stoker to bed down on the floor of her bedroom to escape the press of bodies and they happily stretched out to snore the night away. Carbine ground her teeth at her generosity and swore she would get the snoring duet back somehow, before finally drifting off herself.

Charlie found herself hard pressed to move around for the many bodies lying strewn both inside and outside her garage. Spying Vinnie snoring in one corner of the garage, she crawled over bodies until she reached him and shook him awake.

"Huhn?" he mumbled, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Come on, bed" Charlie said, dragging him up by one arm.

He slung his arm round her shoulders and let her guide him up the stairs, round sleeping bodies and into her bedroom. He crashed face down on the bed and didn't move another muscle for the next twelve hours. Charlie followed suit, slinging an arm and a leg over her husband's broad back as she fell asleep next to him.

The next morning for everyone still at the garage was, in reality, the next afternoon. Those not too worse for wear were sent to purchase bacon and eggs, bread and coffee for the hungry crowd nursing hangovers and were treated to a late breakfast.

After the hefty meal, everyone pitched in to clean the garage and street up and the rubbish filled a number of garbage bags, stacked a couple of metres high outside the side of the garage. Finally, the remainder of Big Ned's crowd said goodbye to their hosts and rode off to do whatever they considered to be important at that time.

In the evening, Stoker took off to visit his new friend who had offered to show him some of the Chicago nightlife. Modo had been invited to a police function by Officer Jensen and Throttle took Carbine out for a romantic dinner at one of the more expensive restaurants in town.

Vinnie and Charlie were left to their own devices, much to their astonishment after having so many people around not long before. Not up to going out, they decided to stay in and had a dinner of left-overs, sat through a made for television movie and just enjoyed the chance to be together without anyone else around.

When the film finished, Vinnie turned the radio on and grinned at the song that came on.

Turning to his wife, he started to sing along with the song, pulling her off the sofa and toward their bedroom.

_**She was a fast machine,**_

_**She kept her motor clean,**_

_**She was the best damn woman that I ever seen,**_

_**She had a-sightless eyes,**_

_**Telling me no lie,**_

_**Knockin' me out with those American thighs,**_

_**Taking more than her share,**_

_**Had me fighting for air,**_

_**She told me to come, but I was already there,**_

_**'Cos the walls start shaking,**_

_**The earth was quaking,**_

_**My mind was achin',**_

_**And we were makin' it and you...**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Yeah you, shook me all night long.**_

_**Running double time on that seduction line,**_

_**She's one of a kind,**_

_**She's just mine all mine,**_

_**Well her claws,**_

_**Are just another cause,**_

_**Made a meal out of me, and come back for more,**_

_**Tried to cool me down,**_

_**To take another round**_

_**Well I'm back in the ring to take another swing,**_

_**But the walls were shaking,**_

_**The earth was quaking,**_

_**My mind was aching,**_

_**And we were making it and you...**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Yeah you, shook me all night long,**_

_**Knocked me out, I said you**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Had me shaking and you,**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Had me shaking,**_

_**Well you shook me...**_

_**You really shook me and YOU!**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Aaaaahaaaahaaaah You...**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Yeah yeah you,**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**You really got me and you,**_

_**Shook me all night long,**_

_**Yeah you shook me,**_

_**Yeah you shook me,**_

_**All night long.**_

A wide grin spread across Charlie's face when her husband finished singing and her eyes gleamed with a wicked glint.

"Indeed Mr Van Wham, that's exactly what I plan to do!" she purred as she pushed him down on the bed.

**THE END.**

**I started this story in April 2005 and have only just finished it. Talk about a slow writer! But I hope you had as much fun reading my fanfic triology as I did writing it. **

**Thank you for taking the time to leave your reviews on my past stories (Thrills and Spills, Viva La Vinnie!) and I look forward to any new ones about "Primal Scent". **

**I'm almost sorry the triology has finished, but I can't be that sorry cos I've just spent three hours finishing the draft, blearily wading through the editing and putting the finishing touches together tonight.**

**I have another fanfic related to this triology in mind, one for Carbine and Throttle's wedding…hopefully on Mars. See how it goes.**

**ROCK 'N' RIDE CITIZENS, TILL 2006! **

**Intrepidwarriors**


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